Islamic Studies (Grade 10) 9786035001304, 0500887341, 0044208539

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Translation of the Meaning of this Verse Are you not aware of the man who argued with l braaheem a bout his Lord, because Allah had given him kingdom? When l braaheem said, 'My Lord is He Who grants l ife and death.' He said, ' I give l ife and death.' Said l braaheem, 'Well, then, Allah ca uses the sun to rise in the east, so cause it to rise in the west!' Thus was he who d isbel ieved confounded. And Al lah does not guide the u njust people. (2: 258) The Debate between Prophet lbraaheem ��and King N imrod The king referred to in this verse was N imrod ( N amrood), king of U r, the land of l braaheem's birth, I raq. I t is said that l braaheem's father was a favoured officer in the kingdom of N imrod. He had denounced his own son to the king for preaching the Oneness of Al lah. N imrod was a disbel iever. He denied the existence of Al lah. He arrogantly and defiantly claimed that he was the creator and pretended that he could give life and cause death. Later on, Pharaoh (Fir'awn) imitated him and declared, 'I do not know that you have a god other than me.' (28: 3 8) It was Nimrod who had built a huge fire in which l braaheem �� was fiung. The king was l ater killed by a gnat which entered his brain and ate it. The dearest

of people to him after that was the one who woul d hit his head with a hammer! H e suffered for forty days. (Tafseer ai-Qurtubee)

{f) Allah's Ultimate Power

One day the people went out to a festiva l. All the people rejoiced and set out for the celebration, which they used to observe regu larly. Prophet l braaheem �� did not join the festiva l . When he found himself alone at home, he went forth to the h uge building where the idols were kept. He hit the idols with an axe and smashed a l l of them except for the largest idol which he l eft unharmed and then hung the axe round its neck. The people returned from the festiva l and went into the building where the idols were kept. They were especially keen to bow d own before the idols because it was the day of their festiva l . They were amazed a n d dumbfounded a t what they saw. 'Who has done this to our gods?' they cried. They asked l braaheem �1, 'Are you the one who did this to our gods?' l braa heem �� pointed out to the large idol and said, ' B ut this, their chief has done it. Ask them if they a re able to speak.'

Before the King When N imrod hea rd that l braaheem �� prostrated himself only before Al l a h and would not prostrate himself before a nyone else, he became angry and sent for him. l braaheem �� came stra ightaway. He did not fea r anyone except Al lah. The king asked, 'Who is your l ord, l braaheem?' l braa heem �� replied, 'My Lord is Al lah.' The king asked, 'And who is Allah, l braaheem?' l b raaheem answered, 'The One Who gives l ife and ca uses death.' The king said, ' I give l ife and cause death.' The king then had a man brought before him and had him kil led. Then he had another man brought before him and spared his l ife. Then he proudly said to l braaheem �1, ' Did you see? I give life and cause death. I put one man to death and let the other man l ive.' The king was very sil ly. Al l idol-worshippers behave foolishly in such matters. Al lah had given N imrod power. But power in the hands of those who do not bel ieve or appreciate Allah's grace a n d favour c a n corrupt and l e a d to tyra n ny. l braa heem wanted to make the king understand. He wanted to make all his people understand that there is no god but Allah. H e said to the king, 'Well, then, Allah causes the sun to rise from the east, so cause it to rise from the west!'

Allah's Ultimate Power G) Life and death a re two of the greatest wonders of this wh ich

world

witness

we

everyday. They are both in the Hands of Al lah. But the king was not looking for guidance. He was interested only in building his lordship which was threatened by l braa h eem's mission

of

preaching

the

/

Who was N im rod? / Why did young l braa heem l eave the largest idol stan d ing? / Why did the king remain u nguided even though he was presented with convincing arguments?

Oneness of Al lah. He was looking only

for

a

way

to

defeat

l braa heem ��in a rgument. But the king could think of nothing to say in a n swer to

l braaheem's a rgument.

He was

confused and d um bfounded. B ut did the king bel ieve? Did he immediately repent and mend his ways? N o! This would have certainly happened if he were sincerely looking for guidance. Even though he became speechless, he did not receive guidance. G uidance comes from Al lah. But in the sight of Allah, he was not qualified for guidance. The stubborn king would have been better advised to accept the truth, but his pride got the better of him. H is arrogance prevented h im from accepting the truth. He could do no m ore than be astonished

and

confo u n d e d .

Conseq uently, he lost the opportunity to believe and win Allah's guidance. Allah does not guide the u njust and the evildoers.

The Verse Presents two Simple but Profound Truths The verse presents two simple but p rofound truths: one taken from within man's daily life, that 'Al lah gives l ife and causes death', and the other from the natura l world a round us, that 'Al lah causes the sun to rise in the east' and not in the west. These are daily, fam il iar occurrences. They are available for a l l to see and contemplate. I n fact, it req uires little knowledge or effort to perceive or understand these truths unless one stubbornly chooses to reject the truth. Even so, N im rod did n ot come out of the darkness of self-worship into the l ight of truth. I n his denial of Allah, he was u njust to himself. Like Prophet l braaheem �1, we m ust stand fast in our excl usive obedience to Al lah as Lord of everyone and everything. Although Allah commands us to obey our parents and leaders in worldly matters, this is only on condition that this accords with H is Wil l . Our obedience to others

ru Allah's Ultimate Power must never equal or override our submission to Allah. I t is Al lah's Will that the message of Islam be given to everyone, whether king or commoner. There is none worthy of worship except Allah. U ltimate power belongs only to H im.

/

Allah commands us to obey our parents and l eaders. Then, why did l b raaheem disobey king N im rod? / Why was king N im rod p uffed u p with pride? / The verse presents two simple profound truths. What a re they? For whom a re these 'simple' truths d ifficult to grasp?

(Soorat al Baqarah 2: 259)

Translation of the Meaning of this Verse Or l ike him who passed by a town whose roofs had caved in. He said, 'Oh! H ow can Allah ever bring it to l ife, after its destruction?' So All a h caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him u p again. H e said, ' H ow long have you remained in this state?' H e said, ' I have remained in this state for a day or a part of a day.' He said, ' N o, you have remained in this state for a hundred years. N ow, look at your food and your drink - it is untouched by the passage of time; a n d look at you r donkey [how We restore it to l ife that you might gain surety of belief concerning resurrection]. And [We did a l l this] so that We might make you a sign for people. And look at the bones how We put them together a n d clothe them with flesh.' When this became clear to him, he exclaimed, ' I know that All a h has power over a l l things.' (2: 259)

Who was the man who passed by the town? which town was it? This verse has aroused a great deal of interest Qur'an among commentators, or the tafseer scholars.

Who was the man who passed by the ruined town? Which town was it? What did the man have for food and d rink? When did this incident take place?

({!') The Story of a Man have Commentators Qur' a n recounted many th ings in their attempt to answer these q uestions. The Qur'an, however, does not give any details as to the identity of this man or the ruined town. This is because such deta ils add l ittle to the significance and impact of this incident. Were these details necessary, they woul d not have been overlooked in the N oble Qur' a n . The most important thing t o real ize is that the incident narrated by the Qur'an did take place. Despite the a bsence of details, the scene comes to l if�. I t stirs the imagination with great clarity and power. It is a scene of ruin and destruction. 'The town whose roofs had caved in': This is the picture of a ru ined town. The collapse of old buildings usually begins with their towers, turrets and roofs. First, their heights tumble d own, followed by their walls. A town in ruins, with wal l s a n d col umns caved in on their foundations! The effect of ruin a n d decay expresses itself in the man's exclamation, ' H ow can Al lah ever bring it to life after its destruction?' The man is perfectly aware of Al lah's presence. H is faith was deep. H is faith was extremely sound. H e was a believer. He did not doubt that Al lah could bring it back to life, but he was merely expressing his amazement. H is q u estioning was not out of lack of faith. It was simply an expression of wonderment and surprise. The man, in fact, desired peace of mind

and certainty of faith, which is known as haqq-ul-yaqeen truth, absol ute a n d assured certainty. It often happens that a person believes something beca use he finds ample evidence for it, but that it is so wondrous that he cannot help wondering how it a l l a ctually happened. Such q uestions are a result of one's overwhelming desire to know and explore. They do not spring from rejection of faith . This urge is especially strong when one is faced with an extremely moving situation. S uch a state of m ind does not contradict faith . It is rather an essential outcome of a fa ith that is based on reason and understanding. It is a journey in which every step marks a move towards a higher a n d better phase. The truly wise and insightfu l person finds it today compared to its yesterday, markedly distinct and bright. It is a Sunnah, or a law of Allah, that He leads sincere truth seekers to H is guidance. H e lends them inner light and supports them. Allah, M ost H igh, willed to make the man a sign for m a n kind. The man was n ot given any l ogica l or rational argument as to how a dead body could be brought to life. He himself was made to undergo that wonderfu l experience. Such a direct personal experience proved very effective. I t involved his senses, emotions and feel ings. I ts effect was sha rp a n d overwhelming. -

The Story of a Man Al lah, M ost H igh, caused him to die for a hundred years. He then brought him back to life. Wh ile he was dead, the man obviously lost a l l sense of time a n d could not tell h o w long he had been i n that state. This i s easy t o understa nd. H uman beings often misjudge things even when they a re in fu l l control of their senses. Scholars have pointed out that since the man was made to d ie in the early part of the day and Al l a h resurrected him in t h e latter part of some other day, when he saw that the sun was still apparent, he thought that it was the sun of that very day. ' H ow long have you remained in this state?' The man repl ied, 'A day or a part of a day.' But the man was informed, ' N o, you have remained in this state for a h u ndred years!'

Why do you think Allah has mentioned the incident and not the deta ils of the man or the town? / The man's exclaiming ' H ow can Allah ever bring it to life . . . ' was n ot due to a deficient faith. Explain. H ow does Allah deal with the sincere seekers of truth? What was Allah's wisdom behind ma king the man undergo the wonderfu l experience of creation?

{j)

The Day of Resurrection The q u estion and a nswer sequence is meant to demonstrate that on being restored to life on the Day of Resurrection, a person will have no idea how long he had spent in barzakh - the interim period intervening between one's death and the Day of J udgement. On being raised, he will feel as if he had just woken up after a short nap. A person will feel that his l ife on earth was not something in his d istant past. It wou ld rather appear to be just only happened that someth ing yesterday, in the morning or eve n ing.

The Man's Donkey None of the man's food a n d drink went bad . It remained in good condition. But the man's donkey was not a round. The donkey was made to d ie along with him. I ts bones lay scattered here and there. N ow Allah said, 'And look at your d onkey. H ow We bring it back while you are watching.' that reported Katheer I bn As-Suddee, one of the early Qur'an

ru The Story of a Man commentators, explained this incident

I t is also worth noting here that the

thus: ' H e observed the bones of his

food was ' u ntouched' by the passage of

donkey which were scattered a l l around

time, while the donkey was long since

him to his right a n d l eft. Allah sent a

dead and its bones had become utterly

wind that collected the bones from a l l

rotten. The fact that the man, the

over t h e area. A l l a h then brought every

donkey and the provisions were affected

bone to its place, u ntil they formed a ful l

in d ifferent ways, under the same

donkey m a d e of fleshless bones. Al l a h

physical a n d environmental conditions is

t h e n covered these bones with flesh, nerves, veins and skin. Then Al lah sent an angel who breathed l ife into the don key's nostrils and the donkey sta rted to bray by Al l a h's leave! All these things occurred while the man watched. He saw the marvel lous sight of a dead animal's decomposed bones

being assembled,

covered with flesh

and

and

then

a nother sign of that Absol ute, Limitless, and Unrestricted Divine Power. Al l a h definitely has the power t o preserve o r restore freshness disintegration .

The

after decay a n d suspension

of

physical laws governing a thing is wel l within H is power. The secret of l ife and death was unravelled before the man. He was fully convinced that Allah indeed has power

skin. This

over a l l things. The m a n in our present

personal experience ful ly satisfied the

story came to the right concl usion.

man's mind and heart about l ife after

Through this story, Allah has, for all time

death. H e proclaimed, " I know now that

to come, given evidence of H is M ight.

Allah has power over everything.'" ( See

We must a lso live our daily lives with this

Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Volume 2, pp. 40-41 -

conviction . This is how it will be on the

English Translation )

Day of Resurrection.

/

I n what d ifferent ways were the man, the donkey a n d the provisions affected?

&,/

/

What timeless l esson s do we learn from the story expounded in this chapter?

The Story of a Man

Preparing Now for Then The

Qur'an

relates

a ccounts

of earlier communities,

civil izations and destroyed societies with a view to conveying lessons for us. The Qur'an also employs parables for this purpose, which are highly instructive. The a bove Qur'anic passage contains l essons for people of a l l times a n d places. M ost people will not a l low themselves to dwell on death. But the true concept of life is that we have come from Al lah and a re return ing to H im. When, how and where will we d ie is Al l a h's secret. We d o not know how much l onger we have to l ive, but what we do know is that we must a lways be ready for death. I n other words, we have to think more of our etern a l afterl ife t h a n o f t h e present l ife, which is transient a n d short. The worl d continues its course through the ages. But this will not go on forever. A day will come when our time for trial will be over. Then this world will end. The Hour is com ing in which all those who have l ived and d ied will rise again. This is a truth revealed by Al l a h several times in the G lorious Qur'an. The resurrection of the body will come about through the m ighty Power of Allah. He had n o difficulty in creating us in the first pla ce, and He will have still no difficulty whatsoever in recomposing the elements of our bod ies and once again giving us life. I slam teaches us that we will present ourselves before Al lah to be judged concerning all the good and evil deeds we have done in this l ife.

(r}

(Soorat - ai- Baqarah 2: 260)

Translation of the Meaning of this Verse And recall when l b raa heem said, 'My Lord! Show m e how You bring t h e d e a d t o l ife.' H e said, 'Do you not then believe?' H e answered, ' I ndeed, I do! But so my heart may be at rest.' He said, 'Take four birds, tame them to turn to you, (then slaughter them, cut them into pieces), and then put a portion of them on every mountain, and call them; they will come to you in speed. And know that Al lah is Exa lted in power, Wise.' (2: 260)

Knowledge Deepens Faith This is an important story of curiosity a bout the great mystery of l ife a n d creation . It proves that there a re times when even the most favoured of Al l a h's believing servants experience a passionate urge and desire to discover the secrets of creation. Prophet lbraaheem �� Asks for Certainty of Belief J ust as Allah satisfied the sincere bel iever in the previous story, by unveiling for him the inner workings of H is Kingdom, so did He satisfy the heart

of l braaheem ��when he expressed h is desire to witness how the dead will be restored to life o n the Day of Resurrection. This is very similar to M oosaa's desire to see Al lah. I t was n ot because l b raa heem �� did n ot believe in the Resurrection. Of course, he did believe, but there is a difference in believing something o n the basis of evidence and witnessing it with one's own eyes. And Al l a h does satisfy His sincere servants a n d seekers of truth. H e even shows them the workings of some specific parts of H is wonderfu l creation.

Knowledge Deepens Faith

lliJ

H e is the Guard ian of those who believe

esta bl ish an argument to his people. I t is

in Him. He helps them a n d supports

rather one of those spectacles that he

them. H e never abandons them in a

was personally shown by Allah in order

state of bewilderment and confusion.

to satisfy him a n d set his heart at rest.

Rather, H e brings them from darkness

The prophets are shown such spectacles

into l ight and from anxiety and chaos

as part of their training for the awesome

into peace and tranquillity.

burden with which All a h entrusted

Prophet l braaheem �� was advised

them.

to ta ke four birds, most probably in

H ere, the curiosity is not motivated

order to make him witness their coming

by lack of conviction. It is not a demand

together from all four directions, and to

for proof to confirm one's faith . It has a

demonstrate

Day of

d ifferent flavour. It is excited by a

Resurrection, when the Trumpet is

spiritual yearning to see and experience

sounded, a l l people will come run n ing

one of Al lah's m ost fascinating secrets.

towards their Creator and Lord from

It is a natural and sponta neous desire to

every direction . H e was a lso advised to

know a n d l earn h ow the Divine Will

tame them, probably in order that he

operates. It is n ot in order to believe or

would recognize them when they came

obtain proof. Rather, it is to experience

back to him, after their restoration to

tota l peace and gain reassurance.

how o n the

l ife. This was also to demonstrate that in

Allah knew that l braa heem ��was a

the life after death, a l l the past

devout believer and that his curiosity

memories of a person concern ing h is l ife

had

on earth will be fully restored.

knowl edge. So H e responded favoura bly

arisen

out of the

quest for

I t should be borne in mind, however,

to his req uest and exposed him to a

that this incident is n ot of those miracles

direct personal experience to satisfy his

that were given to l braaheem �� to

curiosity.

/

Why did l braa heem ��ask Allah regarding the creation of Al lah? / H ow did Allah respond to l braaheem's req uest? / What are the two probable reasons behind taming the birds?

[ll} Knowledge Deepens Faith

Resurrection of the Birds The result was that Al lah responded to what l braa heem ��had asked for. H e ord ered him to take four birds. l b raaheem ��took four birds as he was commanded and slaughtered them, and then cut them into small pieces. He m ixed their flesh together with the blood and feathers so that they were a l l . j u m bl ed together. H e then p u t parts of that mixture on each mountain. H e stood where h e could see those pieces while he kept the heads of the birds in his hands. Then he said, 'Come, by Allah's permission . ' And those parts flew, and the b lood flew to the blood, and feathers to feathers, u ntil they were as they had been at first but headless. Then he repeated the call, and they ran to him until their heads were reunited with their bodies, and they flew by Allah's permission. Each bird came to collect its head from l braa heem's hand, a n d if he gave the bird another head, the body would refuse to a ccept it. When l braaheem �� gave each bird its own head, the head was pla ced on its body by Al l a h's Leave and Power. (a/-Qurtubee)

Indeed, I Do Believe! Allah asked l braa h eem, ' Do you not then bel ieve?' H e replied, ' I n d eed, I do! But so my heart may be at peace.' I n other words, h e asked for it i n order to be stronger in faith. According to M uslim scholars, this verse raises great hope for M uslims. Allah M ost H igh accepted l braa heem's affirmation when he merely said 'yes'. This verse refers to the doubts that attack the heart and the thoughts that Shaytan inspires. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer Vol . 2 p. 44) Th us l braaheem �� was able to witness the secret of breathing l ife into the dead unfold before his own eyes. It is the greatest mystery of l ife, things are created by Al lah out of nothing and are renewed an infinite n umber of times: everyday, every hour, every min ute, a n d every second. It is the mystery that continues to vex and elude human perception. Even if one was to undergo Prophet l braaheem's experience and witness the actual act of creation, one would not comprehend its reality or how it is accomplished. It is the Power of Allah that we can acquire nothing except by H is Will. I t is Al la h's Will that this a rea should remain beyond the bounds of human knowledge. Possibly because it is beyond man's com prehension and it is not required for the fulfil ment of h is mission on earth.

Knowledge Deepens Faith

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ Q� "fr Faith Differs from Person to Person � "fr Faith is l ike inte l l igence. I t differs from person to "fr person. Although everyone has a core of intell igence, � "fr some people a re definitely more intelligent than others. � � "fr Allah's M essenger � is reported to have said, ' Being � -fr tol d about something is not l ike seeing it.' ( I b n H ibbaan; � -fr and it is an a uthentic hadeeth) � "fr It is, therefore, significant to rea lize that when "fr Prophet M oosaa �� was told that his people were � "fr worshipping a heifer, he did n ot throw the Stone Tablets � "fr down. H e threw them only when he actua l l y saw h is � � "fr people worshipping the calf. 1)Prophet l braa heem �said, 'My Lord ! Show me how .ij. 1)- you give l ife to the dead.' Allah said, ' Do you n ot bel ieve?' "fr H e said, ' I ndeed, I do, but to satisfy my own heart.' In fact, faith, as we have said earlier, varies in its .ij. 1)"fr rad iance from heart to hea rt. There a re, in reality, � "fr countless d egrees of faith's radiance, which a re known � "fr only to Allah. I n some hearts, it is as bright as the sun, in � "fr others it is l ike the ful l moon, in others it is l ike stars, in � "fr some like a big illuminated chandelier, in some l ike a b ig � "fr l amp, in some like a glowing candle, and in some l ike a � "fr flickering flame of l ight. This is why, on the Day of � "fr Resurrection, the l ights of the believers will rad iate � "fr a ccording to the strength a n d the depth of their faith in � � "fr Al lah's Oneness and the nobility of their actions. � �¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

�

/

Give a n example from the lesson o n how seeing is better than hearing. / M ention the different shades of faith.

[!;}

��

The M iracu lous St ory of Man's Crea t ion

How did Allah create the world? Allah created the world out of nothing with an a ct of H is Omnipotent Wil l . H e said, " Be" and it was made. H e commanded, and it stood forth. To create i s a n ability that is only Allah's. H ow long did it take Allah to create the u niverse? Allah made the world in six d ays, or periods of time. The Qur' a n says: 'Allah i s the O n e Who created the heavens a n d the earth and all that is between them in six days.' (25: 5 9 ) H ow long were those days? We d o n o t know. They were not days as we know them, beca use d u ring some of them, the sun and the earth were not yet formed. Such a day may be a very long time for us. The M iracle of 'Man' We l ive in a world with bill ions of people. Everyday, all over the worl d, h u nd reds of thousands of babies a re born; hund reds of babies every minute. Similarly, h u nd reds of thousands of people a lso die. In this way, life o n earth continues: bab ies a re born, they grow up, adults get married and old people die. And so it goes on and on! The Qur'an and the Creation of the First Man, Adam Allah, M ost H igh, H imself revealed our true origin to us in the Qur'an. The creation of m a n is a m iracle. The fi rst human being was created by All a h, shaping clay into a human form a n d then breathing l ife into it. Allah says in the Qur' an: ' Indeed, We created you out of

dust (the first man Adam), then from a drop of fluid (nutfah), then from something that clings ('alaqah), then from a morsel-like lump (mudhghah): destined to be either fully formed or left unformed. In this way, do We make clear to you Allah's All-creative might. Thus do We cause to settle in the wombs (of their mothers) whatever unborn. We so will, for a stated term. Then We bring you forth as babies, so that you may thereafter reach ful l maturity. Then among you are those who die young. And some of you live on to an object old age when all that they once knew, they knew no more. And even so do you see the earth lifeless. But when We send down upon it water, it quivers and swells and grows every variety of plant life.' (22: 5)

The Miraculous Story of Man's Creation Thus man is a n issue of the earth. H e originated, took form a n d l ived o ut o f its d ust. H e is closely related to d ust, both in his constitution and food. The Qur'an says: 'We created man from an extract of clay.' (23 : 1 2) 'su/aalah' word Arabic The (translated as extract in this verse), means an essence or kernel. The information revealed in the Qur'an over 1400 yea rs ago confirms what modern science now tells us, namely, that the same elements as those found in the soil a re found in human creation. Likewise, water forms the main component of the human being, as is common in other living beings. The Qur'an says: 'Allah created every beast from water. Some of them go on their bellies, some of them on two legs, and some on four. Allah creates whatever He wills, for Allah has power over all things. (24: 45) 'We made from water every living thing.' (21 : 30) It was only possible for the disbel ievers to come a cross this information, clearly expressed in those Verses, h undreds of years afterwards with the invention of the m icroscope. The Qur'an is not a book of science. H owever, many scientific facts that a re

G)

expressed in a n extremely brief and profound manner in its verses have only been admitted to by the disbelievers in recent years. These facts could not have been witnessed by humans at the time of the Qur'an's reve l ation, and this furnishes still more proof that the Qur'an is the Word of Allah. In fact, the Qur'an is the greatest proof of Islam. The Qur' a n 's purpose behind delivering medical and scientific referen ces a n d othe r m iracles a re numerous. By doing so, it strengthens and deepens M uslims' faith, motivating them towards med itation. It a lso provides non-M uslims with irrefutable evidence of Islam's genuineness. A Hadeeth that Demonstrates One of the Many Scientific M iracles On the a uthority of Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood 41& who said, 'The M essenger of Allah � narrated to us, a n d he is the truthfu l , entrusted one: "Verily, each of you is brought together in his m other's womb for forty days. Then it is therein something that clings d u ring this period ('alaqah). Thereafter, it is a lump looking l i ke it has been chewed in this period (mudhghah). The angel is then sent to him, a n d he breathes into him the spirit."' ( Part of a hadeeth recorded by a i-Bukhaaree)

W} The Miraculous Story of Man's Creation /

H ow long were the days when Allah created the u niverse in comparison to the earth's days? / I n what d ifferent ways is m a n rel ated to the earth's soil? / The Qur'an contains verses of scientific and medical n ature. Elaborate.

It is interesting to n ote that Allah's M essenger � u sed here the word 'the a ngel ', rather than 'an a ngel'. This may indicate that this rol e of looking after or taking care of the foetus is that of a special a ngel. This hadeeth describes some of the different stages of human development. Different Stages of Human Development I n another place in the G l orious Qur'an, Al l a h mentions the seven stages of creation and development that human beings go through: 4And indeed We created man out of an extract of clay. Then We made him (the offspring of Adam) into a nutfah (i.e. mixture of male and female fluid) set in a well-established place (the woman's womb). Then We made the nutfah into something that clings (4alaqah). Then We made the clinging object into a morsel-like lump (mudhghah). Then We created in the morsel-like lump bones. Then We clothed the bones with flesh. Thus do We bring him forth as an entirely different creation. So blessed be Allah, the best of creators.' (23: 12-14 )

The Stages of Human Development 1.

The first stage of the development of a human being, as is evident from the Qur' a n, is the stage of being a nutfah . Nutfah is a n Ara bic word which l iterally means a 'drop of fl uid'. After the male sperm enters the woman's body, it joins with the egg in the womb of the m other. The word n utfah is often translated as 'sperm, d rop of semen, l iving germ, a drop of seed, etc. ' B ut it is important to realize that the Arabic term n utfah does n ot refer only to the male sperm. The Prophet 3% used it in clear reference to a man's n utfah a n d a woman's nutfah, and the union of both. It is clear that the disbelievers realized that the embryo is created of a man's sperm mingled with a woman's ovum only in the eighteenth century. Furthermore, this was confirmed by the disbelievers d u ring the begi nning of the twentieth century. The Qur' a n possesses many m iraculous attributes proving that it

The Miraculous Story of Man's Creation is a revelation from Allah. One of these attributes is the fact that a n umber of scientific truths that have only been admitted to by the disbelievers with the help of twentieth century technology were a ctually stated in the Qur'an more than 1 400 years ago. The Gracious Qur'an and the Prophetic sayings confirmed in a very accurate manner the creation of man from a mingled fluid-drop more than fourteen centuries ago. Several Other Stages: Mentioned in the Qur'an 2. 3·

The stage of 'alaqah: the clinging stage. The mudghah stage: A chewed-like lump of flesh.

4 · The bone formation stage. 5·

Zygote

•

Morula / {0-3 days)

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o

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{first 8 weeks)

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Fetus (until term)

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The m uscle stage: the clothing with flesh.

6. The developing (nash'ah) stage.

7. The labour stage: After the passing of

nine l unar months (about 38 weeks), the foetus completes its growth in the uterus. It is time now to leave, after the end of this specified period. Al lah says, 'And We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term.' (22: 5)

/

What are the different stages of human creation a s mentioned in the Qur' a n? / Explain the word nutfah .

lli} The Miraculous Story of Man's Creation Review A. Fill in the blanks.

1.

Allah created the u niverse i n

2.

-------

____

days.

forms the main component of earth ly

l iving beings.

B. Think-up H ow does the creation of man prove that the Qur'an is the Word of Allah?

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GI�..:.: ���������J-q� � ® ��_;�1c:�§ltl�;.s · I {--® - 1_;.\"b-"l�-- "u1""'1;- , to tell her of his vision, a n d she was greatly consol ed. When Khaalid � a n d his men returned to M a d eenah, the Prophet � ca l l ed for his wh ite m u le, D u l d u l , which AI-Muqawqis, the then govern or of Egypt, had given him as a gift, and putting J a 'far's eldest boy Abd u l l a a h in front of him o n the saddle, he rod e out to m eet them. When Asmaa bint U mays's ( J a 'far's widow ) waiting period was over, Abu Bakr as-Sidd eeq proposed to her. She accepted to marry him and subseq uently gave birth t o his son M u hammad ibn Abu Ba kr. After the death of Abu B a kr � Al i ibn Abee Taa l i b ' � m a rried her, and s h e gave birth to some of his sons. M a y Al l a h be well-pl eased with them a l l . I n a few key a spects, t h e Battle of M u 'tah was u n iq ue compared with the oth er battles. For one thing, it was the only battl e d u ring which the news of the battle was revea l e d to the Prophet � at the same time as it was a ctua l ly taking pl ace . Thus the Prophet 3% was

�

a b l e to inform his companions a bout the martyrdo m of Zayd, J a 'far a n d Abd u l l a a h . Also, i t w a s the only battle for which the Prophet � appointed three leaders in order - first Zayd � ' then if he was killed J a 'far � then if he ' was killed, A b d u l la h �. U nd o u bted ly, M us l ims learnt a great deal a n d ga ined much experience from this fi rst encounter with the Ro m a n forces. This knowledge would benefit them in future expeditions. They had learnt about the en emy's strength, n u m b ers, methods of warfare, a n d battle p l an s, a n d also about the nature of the territory.

/

What m iracle did Allah grant the Prophet � h ere? / After the death of the three great commande rs, how was Al l a h's M essenger's grief l ightened? / I n what way was the Battle of M u'ta h a u n iq ue one?

ti) Prophet Muhammad � (3) Review A. Fill in the b l a n ks.

1.

Ja'far � was also known as ------ and

2.

The

3·

D uring the M u 'tah Expedition, Khaalid � earned the

fourth

commander

of

the

a rmy

was

name of ------- of Al lah.

B. Th ink up

1.

H ow did the Battle of M u 'tah get its name?

2.

What do you think is meant by the phrase 'wa iting period' mentioned in the chapter?

3 · The word ash-Shaam ( Syria ) used to comprise more than one country. What a re they?

(Soorat ai-Ahzaab, 33: 56)

Translation of the Meaning of this Verse 'Surely, Allah and His angels send salaat upon the Prophet. 0 you who believe, send salaat upon him and salute him with a salutation of peace.' ( 33 : 56)

The Command to Send Salaat upon the Prophet � This signifies that Al lah, M ost H igh, bestows H is mercy on H is Prophet �. H e magnifies his dignity a n d exa lts his station, and that H is a ngels pray for the Prophet � and seek Al lah's mercy for him. They pray to Al l a h to honour H is servant and H is M essenger and to give him the highest of a l l degrees. The

blessings come from Allah, as do His mercy and H is Good Pleasure, while from the a ngels comes the prayer of suppl ication and the req uest for Allah's Mercy. Sending Salaat upon the Prophet � That is to say, the bel ievers m ust make it their freq uent practice to send salaat upon the Prophet � and sal ute

ffi} Sending Salaat upon the Prophet :i him with the greeting of peace. I n fact, his claim on us is enormous. H e has delivered us from error into right guidance a n d brought us out of darkness into light. Whenever his noble name is mentioned, we m ust, therefore, say, '0 Al lah! Send sa/aat and salaam upon him.' When the bel ievers invoke sa/aat upon the Prophet ;i, they honour themselves thereby, since they are fol l owing the example of Allah in blessing and venerating him. Since creatures are incapable of recompensing Allah's M essenger � for all of the good that he has del ivered, they must entreat Allah to recompense him. Allah, M ost H igh, has commanded H is servants to send sa/aat upon H is Prophet M uhammad � as a way of honouring him. I t is, however, recommended to invoke Allah's peace upon other prophets and a ngels, separately, whenever their names are mentioned. M uslim scholars have expressed a difference of opinion as to the extent to which it is necessary to invoke sa/aat upon the Prophet �. Some maintain that it is req uired whenever the name of the Messenger � is mentioned. Their view is su pported by prophetic traditions. One such tradition is recorded by at-Tirm idhee. Az-Zamakhsharee (d. 538 A H ), said, ' If you ask me whether sending sa/aat

upon Allah's M essenger � is req uired or simply recommended, I would say, "that it is required . Of that I am certain."' Accord ing to some other scholars, it is necessary to do so in every session, though only once, even if he is mentioned repeatedly. Caution must, h owever, be exercised when it comes to being negl ectful with sending sa/aat upon every mention of Al lah's M essenger ;i. This is in keeping with a l l t h e reports that have been transmitted on this su bject. Merits of Sending Salaat upon the Prophet � Concerning the merit of sending salaat upon the Prophet � he himself ' said, ' If someone sends sa/aat upon me once, Allah will send sa/aat upon him, ten times.' (M uslim and at-Tirmid hee) An-Nasaa'ee related that Allah's M essenger � came a long one day and joy was showing in h is face. H e said, 'The a ngel came to me and said, "0 M uhammad, your Lord is saying: I t will surely please you to know that if someone sends sa/aat upon you, I shall send sa/aat upon him ten times, and if someone salutes you, I shall sal ute him ten times."' An-Nasaa'ee also related that Al lah's M essenger � once said, 'Al lah has angels travel ling about in the land to bring me the greeting of peace from my community.'

Sending Salaat upon the Prophet � [;}

It is Sufficient to Relieve you from Distress At-Tirm idhee recorded that U bayy ibn Ka'b � once said to Allah's M essenger � ' M essenger of Allah, I ' send a lot of sa/aat upon you, how m uch of my supplication should I reserve for sending sa/aat upon you?' The Prophet � replied, 'Whatever you want. But if you increase it, it would be better for you. ' I said, 'Two-thirds?' H e said, 'Whatever you want. But if you increase it, it would be better for you . ' I said, 'Should I make my whole suppl ication for you?' H e said, 'This would be sufficient to relieve your worries and earn you forgiveness of your sins.' ( at-Tirm idhee ) Occasions for Sending Salaat upon the Prophet � It is reported that we should send salaat upon the Prophet � on various occasions, such as following the call to

/ / / / / /

prayer ( adhaan ) . l maam Ahmad records, 'Al lah's M essenger � said, "When you hear the· mu'adhdhin, repeat what he says, then send sa/aat upon me; for whoever sends sa/aat upon me, Allah will send sa/aat upon him tenfold. Then ask Al l a h to grant me al-Waseelah, which is a status in Paradise to which only one of the servants of Al lah will be entitled, and I hope that I will be the one. Whoever asks for a/-Waseelah for me, it will be perm itted for me to intercede for him." ' Other occasions when we should send sa/aat upon the Prophet � include entering and leaving the mosque and while concl uding our suppl ications. At-Tirmid hee records that 'Umar ibn ai-Khattaa b � said, 'A supplication remains suspended between heaven and earth and does not ascend any further until you send sa/aat upon your Prophet �.'

Allah bestows mercy on Prophet M uhammad ilj. What part do the a ngels play in sending sa/aat ? Why should we send sa/aat upon the Prophet �? What is the wisdom behind invoking Allah to send sa/aat upon the Prophet :i? What do you know a bout sending sa/aat upon the Prophet � every time his name is mentioned? What blessings d o we get when we send sa/aat upon the Prophet ilj? What did the Prophet iJj mean when he said, 'If you increase it, it would be better for you ' ?

{:) Sending Salaat upon the Prophet 0'i

Sending Salaat upon the Prophet � before Making Du1aa' Al lah's M essenger � once heard a m a n making prayer of supplication. As the m a n did n ot praise Al l a h or send sa/aat upon the Prophet �� Al lah's M essenger � said, 'Th e m a n is rushing.' Then he ca l l ed him over and said, 'When a nyone of you suppl icates, l et him sta rt by praising a n d glorifying Al l a h, then l et h i m send sa/aat upon the Prophet, a n d after that l e t him m a ke suppl ication as he wis hes.' (Ahmad a n d Abu Daawood) I t is a l so recommended to send sa/aat often upon the Prophet � on Fridays. l ma a m Ah m a d record s, 'The M essenger of Al l a h � said, "One of the best of your days is Friday. On it Ad am was created, a n d o n it his soul was taken, a n d on it the Tru mpet will be b l own a n d on it the swoon 1 • Therefore, increase in sending your sa/aat upon me, for your sa/aat upon m e wil l be presented to me." They said, t

See Soorat Ai-Zumar, 3 9 : 6 8 .

" M essenger of Al l a h ! And how will our salaat upon you be presented to you after you have perished?" He replied, " I n d eed, Al l a h has prohibited the earth from consuming the bodies of the prophets."' (Ahmad, Abu Daawood a n d a n-N asaa'ee) Forms of Sending Salaat upon the Prophet � The forms of sending sa/aat upon the Prophet � are m any. They are recorded in the authentic books of hadeeth, l ike al-Bukh a a ree, M uslim, Abu Daawood, at-Tirmid hee, an-N asaa'ee, and I bn M aaja h . M any M uslims refer to one such form as "as-Salaat-ul­ lbraaheemiyyah, " meaning that which we recite in our daily prayers. You m ust try hard to m a ke a constant practice of sending sa/aat upon the Prophet �� as many times a s possible. Al l a h says in the G l orio u s Qur'an,

Sending Salaat upon the Prophet � trs}

'Say: If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.' (3: 3 1 ) This i s q u ite miraculous that Al l a h, M ost H igh, should m a ke the l ove for H is servants dependent on fol l owing Allah's M essenger � ' and that H e s h o u l d m a ke fol lowing him a proof of the gen u ineness of the serva nt's l ove for Al l a h . If the serva nts d o not fol l ow h im, they w i l l d e prive themse lves o f t h e l ove of Al l a h . They w i l l be fa l s e i n c l a i m i n g to l ove H i m, a n d l ikewise in c l a im i n g t o l ove t h e M essenger of Al l a h :i. We pray to Al l a h , t h rough H is gra c i o u s favour a n d H is n o b l e generos ity, to s h ower p l e ntifu l

salaat

and

peace

u po n

Allah's

M es s e n ger �. We pray t o H im to e n a b l e u s to fo l l o w H is M esse nger � at h e a rt, in s p i rit, i n private, a n d both i n w a rd l y a n d o utwa rdly. Al l a h is i n d ee d Capa b l e of whatever He W i l l s . There is n o m ight n o r a n y p o w e r except with Al l a h .

(@) Sending Salaat upon the Prophet � Review A. Answer these question.

1.

M ention a ny three occasions for sending sa/aat upon the Prophet �.

2.

Our sending sa/aat upon the Prophet � is presented to him. Explain.

3·

What is the proof of the gen uineness of our l ove for Allah?

B. Thi n k up

1.

Who is az-Zamakhsharee?

2.

What is the d ifference in meaning between the sa/aat we send upon the Prophet � and the sa/aat Almight Al l a h s e n d s u p o n us?

Daumatii-Jandal •

(

An-Nafud l!'reat Desert Tabuk·•

Taima •

Muwaylih • Dubale

AI-Wajh e

The Conq uest of Makkah (The Great Conq uest) Ramadhaan 8 AH

(

Jeddahe

• At-Ta'if

The Conquest of Makkah I n the Peace Pact of ai-H u daybiyyah, it was laid d own that a nyone who wanted to enter into a treaty and al liance with the M essenger of Allah � should be able to do so, and anyone who wanted to enter into a treaty and a l liance with the Quraysh should a lso be al lowed to do so. The Banu Bakr entered into an a l l iance with the Quraysh, while the Banu Khuzaa ' ah entered into one

with the Prophet �. Longstanding h ostil ities existed between the Banu Bakr and the Banu Khuzaa'a h. Despite the treaty, some of the men of Banu Bakr were stil l determined t o prolong their feud with Khuzaa'ah. One night, a clan of Bakr made a raid aga inst Khuzaa'ah at a watering place cal led a i-Watir, which was in Khuzaa'ah's territory. The Quraysh b latantly violated the terms of the Treaty of ai-H udaybiyya h, a n d they helped their a ll ies, the Banu Bakr, by supplying men, horses and weapons against Banu Khuzaa'ah, who were the a l lies of the M us l ims. Some Quraysh leaders also fought with Banu Bakr under the cover of darkness. Banu Khuzaa'ah were u nprepared for the surprise attack. When they took refuge in the territory of the Sacred M osque, the Banu Bakr followed them there a n d killed more than twenty of their men. The Banu Khuzaa'ah pleaded with the men of Banu Bakr, saying, 'We have entered the Sacred Territory, so consider your god. Consider your god.' U nm oved by their pleas, they said, 'There is n o god today, men of Banu Bakr, proceed forward and take your revenge.' This behaviour on the part of the Quraysh was clearly a breach of the Treaty of ai-Hudaybiyyah.

[I} Prophet Muhammad � (4) Khuzaa'ah Seek the Prophet's Help Khuzaa'ah immediately sent a deputation to M adeenah to inform the Prophet � of what had happened and to ask for his help. H e told them they cou ld rely o n him a n d sent them back to their territory. He then sent a man to M a kkah to get confirmation of the attack and to offer the Quraysh the choice to either pay the blood money for the dead of Khuzaa'ah, to annul the Treaty with the Banu Bakr or to face war. The Quraysh chose to fight. They ignored the likely consequences. Their reply was impulsive. The Quraysh Attempt to Renew the Truce Meantime the M a kkans were exceed ingly troubled as to the possible outcome of what had happened. They real ized the danger of the situation and sent Abu Sufyaan ibn H a rb to pacify the Prophet �. On his way, he met the men of Khuzaa'ah returning home from M adeenah a n d he feared he was too late. Abu Sufyaan went to the M essenger of Al lah � but he did not ' receive any reply. Then he went to Abu Bakr � and asked him to speak to the Prophet � for him, but he refused . He tried to win over ' U mar � Ali � and ' Faatimah �' but they all refused to intervene. Abu Sufyaan became confused a bout what to do. H e also went to his da ughter, Umm H a beeba h , the wife of the Prophet � '

hoping she might agree to intervene on his behalf. They had not met for some fifteen years. As he was a bout to take his seat on the Prophet's rug, she hastily folded it u p from beneath him. Abu Sufyaa n exclaimed, 'I do not know whether you think the rug too good for me or whether I am too good for the rug.' She replied, ' I t is the Prophet's rug, and you are a n unclean idol ater.' Abu Sufyaa n felt that no help was to be expected from her. H e, therefore, l eft a n d returned to M a kka h with great misgivings. He was now sure that the treaty was abrogated by the recent violations.

The Prophet ·� Makes Preparations to March to Makkah Allah's M essenger � seized the opportunity of the Quraysh's violation of the Treaty of al-H udaybiyya h. He had to move to a new and more advanced stage towards achieving total supremacy of Islam in Arabia. M a kka h was the stronghold of Ara bian

Prophet Muhammad � (4) paga nism. It was now time to overrun and clea nse the land of polytheism. So he asked his companions to start ma king preparations for an exped ition. As was his custom, he did not immediately d isclose his destination. But when he was about to set out, he indicated that he was moving against M a kka h. H e prayed, '0 Al lah! Ta ke from the Quraysh a l l sight of us and a l l information about u s , so that we may come suddenly upon them in their land.' In a nswer to his prayer, word came to him from heaven that one of the Emigrants, H aatib ibn Abu Ba lta'ah had sent a letter to the Quraysh to warn them of the impend ing attack. H e had given the l etter to a woma n of M uzaynah who was travelling to M a kkah, and she had hidden it in her ha ir. The Prophet � sent Ali � az-Zubayr ' � and ai-Miqdaad � after her. H aving ' failed to find it in her belongings, they threatened to search her if she did not prod uce it. So she gave them the letter. They took it to the Prophet � who sent for its writer. The Prophet � asked, 'What made you write this, H a atib?' H a atib replied, 'Messenger of Al lah! I truly bel ieve in Allah and H is Messenger. I have not changed my belief, but I am a man without standing among the people of M akka h and without relatives of influence to protect me. I sought to win their favour for the sake of my son and my family who a re there in their midst.'

[;}

Umar � said, 'M essenger of Allah! Let me strike off his head. The man is a hypocrite.' But the Prophet � said, 'Umar, concerning the men who fought at Badr, perhaps Allah has said, " Do whatever you will, for I have forgiven you."' H a atib had participated in the Battle of Badr aga inst the Quraysh.

The Prophet � Marches to Makkah The Prophet � called out for war to the tribes around Madeenah. Some of them came to him in M adeenah, while some joined him on the way. The M uslim army n umbered some ten thousand warriors. Al l of the Em igrants and H e lpers accompanied the Prophet �; not one of them stayed behind. Allah's M essenger � set out from M adeenah in Ramadhaan of the eighth year A H . The M uslims were fasting u ntil they reached Kudayd, which is a spring located eighty-six kilometres from M a kka h, and three hundred and one kilometres from Madeenah, and there they broke their fast. The M uslim army reached Marr a d h-Dhahraan without the Quraysh knowing anything of their movements.

«iQ) Prophet Muhammad � (4) When they were about h a lf-way, they were met by AI-Abbaas and Umm a i-Fad hl and their sons. AI-Abbaas had decided that it was now time for them to / leave Ma kkah and emigrate to live in Madeenah. The Prophet � / invited them to JOin h is exped ition, which they did, to the joy of M aymoonah �' who had / come with the Prophet �. According to some scholars, / AI-Abbaas � had embra ced Islam before the Conq uest of Khaybar. While the M uslims were on / their march to M akka h, some of the idolaters came forward and embra ced Islam. At a i-Abwaa', Abu Sufyaa n ibn a i-Haarith, the Prophet's foster brother, and Abd ullaah ibn Abu U mayya h ibn ai-M ugheera h came forward and embraced Islam. They had been strongly opposed to Islam. Abu Sufyaan ibn ai-Haarith (other than Abu S ufyaan ibn H a rb, a leader of the Quraysh, who a l so a ccepted Islam later) had mocked the M uslims and fought them in every battle for twenty years, u ntil Allah put Islam into his heart a n d strengthened his faith so m uch so that he was one of those who remained with the Prophet � d u ring the Battle of H u nayn when others fled. The Battle of H u nayn took place in the month of Shawwaa/ in the year 8 A H . Abdullaah i b n Umayyah h a d also been very hostile to Islam . He was the

H ow can you say that Banu Bakr attacked Banu Khuza'ah u njustly? When Banu Khuza'ah sought help from the Prophet � what options did h e give to the ' Quraysh? Why did the Quraysh send Abu S ufyaan to the Prophet �? What was its result? Besides fighting for the rights of Banu Bakr, what other motives did the Prophet � have for attacking M akkah? Why did the Prophet � overlook H aatib's wrongdoing? brother of U m m Salamah �' the wife of the Prophet � who had accompanied ' him. Abdullaah came to the Prophet � between al-Saqya and a i-Araj on the way to M a kka h from M adeenah, a n d embra ced Islam wholeheartedly. H e witnessed t h e Conquest of M a kkah a n d w a s martyred d u ring t h e siege of at-Taa'if, which took place in the month of Shawwaal in the year 8 AH after the Battle of H unayn. Abu Sufyaan ibn H arb Accepts Islam Allah's M essenger was � commanding the army and he ordered the campfires to be l it. Abu Sufyaan ibn H a rb, who was spying o n the ground for the Quraysh, said, 1 1 have never seen so many fires or such an a rmy.' AI-Abbaas

Prophet Muhammad � (4) recognized Abu Sufyaan's voice and called to him, 'See, the Prophet is here with his army. What a terrible morning the Quraysh will have!' He made Abu Sufyaan ride on the back of his mule and brought him to the M essenger of Allah ;i who said, 'Woe to you, Abu Sufyaan! Has not the time come for you to acknowledge that there is no god but Allah?' Then Abu Sufyaan recited the article of faith and embraced I slam. I n M a rr adh-Dhahraan, which is a valley that is situated a bout twenty-two kilometres outside of M a kkah towards the north, Allah's M essenger ;i appointed commanders and divided the army into right, left and a centra l core. Khaal id i b n ai-Wa leed � was i n command of t h e right flank, az-Zubayr ibn ai-Awwaam � was in command of the left flank, while Abu U baydah � was in command of the infantry. Al lah's M essenger ;i commanded his army not to use arms against anyone when they entered M a kkah unless they met opposition or resistance. Limited Resistance by the Quraysh The Prophet ;i entered M a kkah from the upper part of the city, from the direction of Kida, and Khaalid ibn al-Waleed entered from the lower part. l krimah ibn Abu Jahl, Safwaan ibn Umayyah and Suhayl ibn Amr had gathered a force of the Quraysh together with some of their allies of B a k r a n d H u d h a y I . T h e y w e re

tit)

determ ined to fight, and when they saw Khaalid's troops making for the lower entrance to the city, they came and attacked them. But they were no match for Khaalid � and his men, who put them to flight, having kil l ed some twenty-four of them with the loss of only three lives on their own sides. l krimah and Safwaan escaped on horseback to the coast, while Suhayl went to his house and locked the door. The fight was almost at an end when Allah's M essenger ;i entered through the pass of Adhaakhir into U pper Ma kkah.

Conq uest o f Makkah (20 Ramadhaan 8 A H )

"When there comes the Help o fAllah (to you, 0 Muhammad ;!/5 against your enemies) a n d the Conquest (of Makkah)." (Qur'an 1 1 0: 1 ) Dhi Tuwa

To Iraq

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·({jf) Prophet Muhammad � (4) The Prophet � Enters Makkah in Humility The Prophet � entered M a kkah with his head bowed and cast down in gratitude to Al lah, h is chest a lmost touching the saddle of his camel. H e was reciting Soorat ai-Fath as he rode into M a kkah in victory. He raised the standard of justice and humility. He told a man, trembling with awe on the Day of the Conquest, ' Be at ease. Do not be afraid. I am not a king. I am only the son of a woman of the Quraysh who used to eat meat d ried in the sun.' When he learnt a bout the fighting in lower M a kkah, he protested, ' Did I not forbid fighting?' But when it was explained to him what had ha ppened, he said that Allah had willed it for the best. Al lah's M essenger � entered M a kkah on the morning of Friday, 2 0 Ramadhaan, in t h e year 8 A H . A General Amnesty Allah's M essenger � was generous. He granted a general amnesty to everyone so that no one in M a kka h would be killed that day. H e declared, 'Whoever enters the house of Abu Sufyaan shall be safe. Whoever locks the door of h is h ouse shall be safe, a n d whoever enters t h e M osque shall be safe.' H e commanded the a rmy n ot to touch the property bel onging to the people of M akkah, and he ordered that nothing should be destroyed .

Why was Abu S ufyaan's home particular while mentioned in announcing the general pardon? The primary reason for this was that the Prophet � wanted to bestow upon Abu Sufyaan a specific honour in order to make him fi rm upon I slam. He was the chieftain of the Quraysh. H aving received such an honour, he would then try to convince others to surrender peacefully and to enter their homes. H is cooperation as the chieftain of the Quraysh was of great value and cooperation.

Purifying the Sacred House Al l ah's M essenger � rested for a n h o u r or more in a tent, which A b u Raafi' had pitched for him n ot far from the M osque. The n he called for a i-Qaswaa ', h is she-camel. H e rode straight to the southeast corner of the Ka'bah and reverently touched the Black Stone with h is staff, uttering as he did so a magnification 'A//aahu Akbar'. Then he made the seven rounds of the Sacred H ouse. The Prophet � n ow turned away from the Ka'bah towards the idols, which surrounded it in a wide circle, three hundred and sixty in a l l . Between these and the H ouse, he rode, repeating the verse, 'The Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. I ndeed, falsehood is ever a vanisher.' (17: 81 ).

Prophet Muhammad � (4) (J;')

H e pointed at the idols one by one, with h is staff. Each idol, as he pointed at it, fel l forward on its face. Soon ' Uthmaan ibn Talhah brought h im the key of the Ka'bah. The inside wa l l s of the Sacred H ouse had been covered with statues and pictures of pagan deities. Allah's M essenger 3j ordered that they a l l be destroyed. A report says that there were inside the Ka'bah paintings of l braaheem �1, l smaa'eel �� a n d l s-haaq �� divining � with a rrows. The Prophet comma nded that the walls be rubbed with saffron. He d id not enter until the task was completed. He remarked, ' M ay Al lah destroy those who put them. l braa heem never d ivined with arrows.' ( a l-Bukhaaree) According to a nother report, there was a lso a painting of M a ryam � inside the Ka'bah. Two wooden pigeons were a lso found. Allah's M essenger � did not enter until a l l these paintings were destroyed.

When the Ka'bah was purified, the Prophet � entered it and offered a two-rak'ah prayer inside it. H e stayed inside for a while, and, standing on the threshold with the key in his hand, he said, ' Pra ise be to Allah Who alone has fulfi l led H is promise, helped H is slave and routed the clans.' The M a kkans who had taken refuge in the M osque had since been joined by many of those who had first taken refuge in their homes, and they were sitting in groups, here a n d there, not far from the Ka'bah. Al l a h's M essenger � now addressed them saying, 'What do you think I will do to you?' They answered, 'We say wel l . We think wel l, a noble and generous brother, son of a noble and generous brother. The command is yours.' He then spoke to them in the words of forgiveness which, accord ing to the revelation, Yoosuf �� spoke to h is brothers when they came to him in Egypt, ' I ndeed, I say as my brother Yoosuf said, "This day there shall be no upbraiding of you nor reproach. Allah will forgive you, and He is Most Merciful of the merciful."' (12: 92) Al lah's M essenger � then ca l led 'Uthmaan ibn Talhah a n d said to him as he handed him the key of the Ka'bah, ' H ere is your key, 'Uthmaan. Today is a day of piety a n d good faith. Keep it forever as an in heritance. Only a tyrant will ta ke it from you.'

ffi} Prophet Muhammad � (4) Al lah's M essenger � had once asked 1 Uthmaan ibn Ta lhah for the key before the emigration to M adeenah, but he only received a very rude answer. He had shown tol erance by saying, 1 Uthmaan, one day you will see this key in my hand. I will then put it wh ere I wish.' 1Uthmaan retorted, 1Th e Quraysh will be destroyed and hum il iated o n that day.' 1 N o,' the M essenger of Allah � said, 1 Rather it will be a day of prosperity a n d security for the Quraysh.' Alla h's M essenger � now sent Khaalid ibn ai-Wa l eed to N a khlah to destroy the idol of ai-U zzaa, which the whole tribe of M udhar used to worsh ip, and Khaalid destroyed it. He sent 1Am r ibn ai-1Aas to S uwaa, the idol of H ud hayl, and he destroyed it. H e sent Sa1d ibn Zayd ai-Ashalee to the idol of M ushallal, and he d estroyed it. Thus the greatest centres of idolatry were destroyed . Al l a h 's M essenger � had it proclaimed throughout the city that everyone who had a n idol in his house must destroy it. He then withdrew to nearby Mount Safa where he received the homage of those of his enemies who now wished to enter I slam, both men and women. They came to him in h u ndreds. Allah's M essenger � gave several sermons in M a kka h. He a nnounced that M a kka h was a sanctuary and that it was unl awfu l to h u nt, to pick wild pla nts, to cut down trees and to pick u p and keep any lost objects within Makkah . F i g h t i n g w a s

forbidden there. H e explained that Al l a h had permitted him to fight there o n l y for a short w h i l e a t t h e t i m e of its liberation. The Outcome of the Conquest of Makkah The Conq uest of M a kka h had a tremendous impact o n the Ara bs. It made it clear that I slam was the religion of Al lah, and it paved the way for the whole of Ara bia to em brace the fa ith. People came from very far places to pay their respects to the Prophet � and to a ccept Islam. The Battle of H unayn and the Siege of Taa'if Once Islam was attra cting so much popular attention, its enem ies made a final attempt to check its expansion. I t w a s the Ara bs' last arrow in their q u iver aga inst I sl a m and the M uslims. The Battle of H unayn, a val l ey situated o n the roads leading from M a kka h to Taa 'if, took place in the yea r 8 AH, shortly after the Conquest of M a kkah. The enemies were the pagan tribes of H awaazin, in whose territory the va ll ey lay, and their a l l ies, Banu Thaqeef. H awaazin regarded themselves as the greatest tribe after the Quraysh. There had a lways been riva l ry between the two. When the Quraysh submitted to the M essenger of Al l a h � in M a kka h, H a waazin became the u nd isputed

Prophet Muhammad � (4) champions of the idol-worsh ippers. Maalik ibn Awf, the H awaazin chief, ca lled for war against the M us l ims, and the tribe of Thaqeef supported him. They agreed to advance against the Musl ims, taking their property, women and children with them so that everyone would fight to the last in defence of his family and possessions. The Muslim army - reinforced by many newly converted M a kka ns comprised about twelve thousand men, whereas H awaazin and Thaqeef had only one third of that n umber at their d isposa l . Relying on their great num bers the M us l ims were overconfident, and apparently careless. In the narrow defiles beyond the oasis of H unayn, they

fel l into an ambush prepared by the tribesmen and bega n to retreat in disorder, after heavy losses had been infl icted on them by the Bedouin archers. It was only the example of the Prophet � and his early ad herents that saved the day and turned the initial rout into a decisive victory. It is to this battle that verses 2 5 and 26 of Soorat at-Tawbah refer, pointing out that true help can come only from Al l a h, and the great n u mbers, ties of kinship and worldly wealth a re of no avail if they are 'dearer to you than Allah and H is M essenger and the struggle in H is cause.'

H u n ayn Expedition

(Shawwaal 8 A.H. I February

630

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"And o n the Day of Hunayn (battle) when you rejoiced at your great n u m ber, but it availed you naught." (Qur'an 9:25)

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ffi) Prophet Muhammad � (4)

The Siege of Taa'if The soldiers of Thaqeef who had fled from H un ayn retreated to Taa'if. They l ocked the city gates after storing sufficient provisions for a year. Then they prepared for war against the M uslims. The Prophet � a n d his army went to Taa'if at once a n d pitched cam p o utside the city wal l . The Thaqeef, who were good a rchers, shot volleys of a rrows at the M uslims, and the air seemed to be filled as if with swarms of l ocusts. The enemy arrows took their toll on severa l M uslims' l ives. The siege l asted for more than ten days. Allah's M essenger tj had not been given leave by Allah, M ost H igh, to conquer Taa'if at that time. H e, therefore, commanded ' U m a r ibn a l-Khattaa b to declare that the siege was over a n d that the army could depart. In the meantime, the Prophet � and the M uslims retu rned to M adeenah. Thaqeef sent a delegation to the M essenger of Allah � a few months later. Fina l l y the Thaqeef embraced Islam. After the delegation returned home, Islam spread among the people of Thaqeef, until every person in Taa'if was a M uslim.

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Why did the Prophet � single out Abu Sufyaan while announcing genera l amnesty? What did Allah's M essenger ;I do a bout the idols, both inside and o utside the Ka'bah? H ow was M a kkah a sanctuary? What caused the Battle of H unayn? H ow did the M uslims perform in it? Why did Allah's M essenger � leave the siege of Taa 'if halfway?

Prophet Muhammad � (4) ffi)

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1.

During the Conquest, the M uslim a rmy numbered ------

2.

warriors.

On the march to M a kkah, some of the

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The Ka'bah was s urrounded by

_____

idols.

B . Th ink u p

1.

What m a d e A b u Sufyaan sure that the Treaty of H udaybiyya h had been abrogated?

2.

Why did the Prophet � command his army n ot to use weapons?

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military expedition, it was his practice to conceal his intent E by fol l owing a n unusual route to the battlefield. Why did he depart from h is custom on this occasion? It is genera l ly thought that he did so because � he wou ld be waging war o; E against form idable the Roma ns, a n d he wanted the people to make the necessary Taima preparations. The expedition of Tabook was also unique, because the distance was so great. Ta book l ies in the north of the H ijaaz, from kilometres 778 Madeenah by the modern 0 AI-Madinah road. Tabook was a part of the territory under the control of the Roman Em pire at that time. Al lah's M essenger � called it Tabook, but it was also known as the Expedition of H a rdship (Ghazwat al-'Usrah), because of the economic difficulties which the M uslims faced during the cam paign. Famine conditions prevailed in Arabia. The scorching heat of summer was at its peak. The season was a lways a hot one, but that year there was d rought, and the heat was more oppressive than usual. The harvest season had just about arrived. There was a shortage of material resources needed to wage a war. I t was -"' 0 0 .,

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Ta book Exped ition The Expedition of Hardship (Usrah) (Rajab 9 A H )

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The Tabook Expedition After his return from H unayn and at-Taa'if, Allah's Messenger � stayed in M adeenah for a l most eight months, from Dhui-Hijjah until Rajab of the ninth year of the Hijrah . He then disclosed his intention of marching aga inst the Romans in Rajab. That was u n usual, since it was the Prophet's habit n ot to disclose h is military objectives beforehand: that is to say, the direction in which he would move and the enemy with whom he woul d engage. In fact, whenever he left M adeenah on a

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Prophet Muhammad � (5)

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in such testing circumstances that the Prophet ::i ordered his people to prepare to march to Ta book. On this occasion, he did not conceal his intent. H e declared that the Romans were h is RIU!I target, and that he would march towards Syria. Reason for the Expedition The Ta book Expedition took place in Rajab in the year gAH . The immediate cause for this expedition was the information which the Prophet � received to the effect that the Romans, apprehensive of the rapid growth of Islam in Ara bia, were assembling large forces on the borders of the Ara bian Peninsula with a view to marching against Madeenah and overthrowing the M uslims. The Romans remembered the M u 'tah Expedition and were stil l a threat. Allah's M essenger ::i, therefore, decided to lead a Muslim a rmy into the Roman territory before the Romans crossed the Arab borders and threatened the heart of Islam. To guard against such an assault, Al lah's M essenger � assembled the strongest force possible and set out towards the frontier, in the month of Raja b. The Contributors to the Army of Tabook Allah's M essenger � publicly appealed to the M uslims to prepare for war against the superpower of that time.

Orders were sent to M a kkah and to the a l l ied tribes that they had to send to Madeenah all their available a rms and men at once for the Syrian campaign. People set a bout ma king ready with a l l speed. The richer m e n vied with each other in their contributions of money. M us l ims responded fervently to the Prophet's call and bega n their war preparations, each Muslim contributing much more than his financial means permitted. H uge amou nts of money were donated by 1 Uthmaan ibn Affa a n � and Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Awf �. 1 U mar � contributed half of a l l his belongings; whereas Abu Bakr � placed a l l that he had possessed at the feet of the Prophet �. I n the same spirit, the companions with low incomes brought their hard-earned wages and donated them to the Prophet �. Women generously donated their jewellery to the war-fund. M oved by the zeal of fighting in Allah's ca use, thousands of M usl ims flocked to M adeenah from far and wide,

ffi} Prophet Muhammad ii; (5) a n d expressed their readiness to sacrifice their l ives. Those who could not be included in the M uslim army, because of the acute shortage of caval ry and other war provisions, wept bitterly a n d lamented their exclusion so pathetica l ly that the Prophet ::t was m oved. A subsequent revelation in the G lorious Qur'an has enshrined in memory these weepers. They were seven in number five needy Helpers, and two Bedouins of M u zaynah a n d Ghatafaan - whom the Prophet � turned rel u ctantly away, beca use he was unable to mount them, and tears filled their eyes as they left his presence. The occasion, in fact, served as a touchstone for distinguishing the sincere from the hypocrites. The moment was so crucial for Islam that not going to the battl efront revealed the hollowness of a man's claim to believe in I slam. This is the reason why this exped ition was a lso called by yet a nother name 'al-Faadhihah', which can roughly be tra nslated to mean 'The U n masking'. The expedition was named thus beca use it exposed the rea lity of the hypocrites and unmasked them. The bel ievers were eager to go out on this expedition. Poverty did not prevent Waathilah ibn al-Asqa' from participating in the expedition . H e ran out into the streets of Madeenah a n d called out, ' I s there any man w h o will carry me o n his riding a nimal in return for which he can have my share of the

spoils.' An old man from the Helpers responded, ' I will take his share, but he will have to take turns riding with me, and I will provide him with food.' Waathilah agreed to the terms. In a later expedition, the M uslim a rmy won spoils, and Waathilah's share consisted of a n um ber of camels. When he offered them to the old man, he refused to take them saying, ' Keep your camels, my nephew, for it is not of yours that I wa nted.'

Allah's M essenger � had left Al i ibn Abee Taalib � to look after his family, but the hypocrites spread the rumour that the Prophet � found him a burden a n d was rel ieved to be rid of his presence. H earing this, Al i � was so distressed that he put on his a rmour, seized his a rms a n d overtook the Prophet � at his fi rst halt, intending to get h is permission to accompany him. He told him what the people were saying, a n d the M essenger of Al lah � said, 'They l ie. I asked you to remain for the sake of what I had left behind me. So return and represent me in my family and in yours. Are you not content, Ali, that you shou l d be to me as Haaroon &f§l was to M oosaa �1, except that after me there is n o Prophet?'

Prophet Muhammad � (5) The Excuse of ai-Jadd ibn Qays One of the leaders of the hypocrites, a l-J a d d ibn Qays, came to see the M essenger of Allah �. Al lah's M essenger � asked him to join the exped ition but a l-Jadd had the most extraordinary excuse. 'M essenger of Allah', he said 'nobody loves women more than I do, and they say that the women of the Romans a re so beautiful, so I a m afraid that I may be infatuated by them.' Allah's Messenger � accepted his apology, but Allah did not. The Qur'an condemned the man in severe terms in Soorat at-Tawbah, 9 = 49· Another group of hypocrites asked the Prophet � to excuse them from fighting beca use of the scorching heat. The Qur'an also rejected their excuse as unacceptable in the same soorah, verses 81-82. The evil intentions of the hypocrites

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came to l ight d u ring this expedition. They d iscouraged the people, saying, 'Don't go forth in the heat.' M ost of the hypocrites stayed behind and did not join the expedition, but some of them joined the a rmy with the intent of making plots and spreading rumours. The Three Devout Muslims who Failed to Join the Expedition The hypocrites came to the Prophet � with various excuses, asking permission to stay behind, and many of the Bedouins who had newly converted to Islam d id the same. There were also three men of good faith - Ka'b ibn Maalik, M u raara h ibn a r-Rabee, and H ilaal ibn U m ayyah - who did not deliberately decide to remain at home, nor d id they proffer excuses. B ut it seemed to them so u ndesirable to leave Madeenah at that season, that they

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Why did Al l a h's M essenger � reveal h is intention of marching against the Romans? / What other names did the Battle of Tabook have a n d why? / What d ifficulties did the M uslims face d u ring the Tabook Expedition? / What factors led the Prophet � to march against the Romans? / H ow did the M uslims react to the appeal of the Prophet � to prepare for war? / What happened to those who coul d n ot be accommodated in the army? / Why d id the Prophet � ask Ali � to stay behind?

({!;) Prophet Muhammad � (5) could not bring themselves to make preparations, and they put off the task from one day to the next until the day dawned when it was too l ate and the troops had gone. M ore than eighty other men also stayed behind. Accord ing to some schola rs, this number consisted of Madeenah hypocrites, the Bedouins from Banu G h ifaar and other tribes who stayed behind numbering eighty-two men in addition to Abdullaah ibn U bayy and his fol l owers. Everyone who stayed

behind thought that no one would notice his absence from the army. Al lah's Messenger � singled out those who had stayed behind with a valid excuse beca use their intention had been good. H e said, 'There are people in Madeenah who are with you wherever you go and whenever you cross a valley.' The companions asked, 'M essenger of Al lah, are they in M adeenah?' H e a nswered, 'They are i n Madeenah. They were prevented from joining us for a valid reason.'

The Number of the Troops of the Tabook Expedition When a l l the contingents had arrived, the army was thirty thousand strong, with ten thousan d horses. It was by far the largest and best equipped army that the Prophet � had led. A camp was made outside the town. Abu Bakr � was put in charge of it until everyone was ready for the march. Then Al lah's M essenger � rode forth and took command. During the northward march, it happened one day at dawn that Al lah's Messenger � was delayed in making his ablution. The com panions were in l ines for the prayer and they waited for him until they feared that the sun would rise before they had offered their prayer. Then it was agreed that Abd ur-Rahmaan ibn Awf should lead them, and they had already performed one of the two prayer units when Al lah's M essenger � a rrived . Abd ur-Rahmaan was about to d raw back, but the Prophet � motioned him to remain where he was, and he himself joined the congregation. When they had uttered the final greeting of peace, the Prophet � rose and offered the prayer unit he had missed.

Prophet Muhammad � (5) Abu Khaythamah's Faith in Action M ea nwhile, in M adeenah, a bout a few days after the a rmy had marched out, one of the bel ievers who had stayed behind, Abu Khaythamah � of the Khazraj, went out into his orchard amid shades of trees on a day of intense heat. There were two tents there, and he found that both his wives had sprinkled each with water, and in each a meal was made ready for him a n d water had been cooled in earthen jars for him to drink. He stood at the threshold of one of the tents and said to himself, 1AIIah's M essenger � is in the glare of the sun, blown on by hot winds, a n d Abu Khaythamah is in cool shade with food prepared for him, and two bea utifu l wives, serving him in his orchard.' Then he turned to his wives and said, 1 By Al lah, I will not enter either of your tents u ntil I have fi rst caught up with the Prophet :i, so make ready provisions for me.' So they saddled his camel, and he set off with all speed in his attempt to catch up with the M uslim a rmy. When the lone rider approached the a rmy a few days after they had reached was he before but Ta book, d istinguishable, Allah's M essenger � said, 1 Be Abu Khaythamah!' Then when the man rode u p and greeted him, he sa id, 1Ai as for you, Abu Khaythamah!' But when he informed him of what had happened, Allah's M essenger :i forgave him and prayed for him.

[;}

The Story of Abu Dharr ai-Ghifaaree Abu Dharr a l-G h ifaa ree -t� was not a b l e to keep u p with the pace of the advancing a rmy to Ta book beca use his camel was wea k and o l d . Eventua l l y, he abandoned it, loading his things o n his back a n d went off wal king in the tracks of the M essenger of Al lah :i. The Prophet � sto pped at one of his ha lting places when a man ca l led h is attention to someone wa l king o n the roa d alone. Th e Prophet � said that he hoped it was Abu Dha rr, a n d when his compa nions l ooked carefu l l y, they said that it was indeed Abu D h a rr. Al lah's M essenger :1 said, 1 M a y Al l a h have m ercy o n Abu Dharr! He wa l ks a lone, h e will die a l one, and he wil l be res u rrected a lo n e . ' I n rea l ity, Abu Dharr � died alone. Only h is wife a n d a servant were with h i m at a pl ace in the d esert cal l ed a r-Ra b d h a h . Al l a h 's M essenger's prophecy for Abu Dharr � was fu lfilled. The Prophet :1 once pra ised Abu Dharr a n d said a bout him, 1Th e earth has not borne, nor the heaven has under its roof a nyone m ore truthfu l than Abu Dharr.'

fu) Prophet Muhammad :1 (5)

A Miracle and the Spring of Tabook During the march, the Prophet � said one n ight, 'Tomorrow, Allah willing, you will come to the spring of Ta book. Whoever comes to it let him not touch its water until I myself arrive there.' But the fi rst men, two hypocrites, to reach it d ra n k from the spring, and when the main part of the army reached, the water had become less than a trickle. Al l ah's M essenger � severely rebuked the two men. He then sent some others to scoop u p what water they could, in the hol lows of their hands and to empty it into an old skin. When enough water had been col lected, he washed his hands and face in it, and poured it over the rock, which covered the mouth of the spring. H e then supplicated as Al l a h willed h i m t o suppl icate. Then, with a sound as that of thunder, the water gushed forth and continued to flow plentifu lly even after a l l the men had satisfied their needs. H e then turned to M u'aadh who was beside him and said, ' M u'aadh, I pray that you wil l l ive to see this place as a vale of many gardens.' And it happened as he had said . The

effects of the Tabook spring a re felt even this very day. Tabook is noted for its wonderful gardens, vegetation a n d crops, all o f which attest to t h e truthfulness o f t h e Prophet � and his m essage. No fighting took place against the Romans d u ring this expedition. The M uslims reached Tabook and did not meet the Romans and their a ll ies. The rulers of the region made peace with the Prophet � and agreed to pay the jizyah ­ the Protection Tax. The result was that the I slamic State now extended to the borders of the Roman Empire. The bloodless victory of Tabook shattered the power of both the unbelievers and the hypocrites.

The Return from Tabook The army stayed in Ta book for twenty days and then returned to M adeenah. On the homeward journey, the M uslims passed through al-H ijr, the territory of the Thamood who, a ccording to the Glorious Qur' a n, were tested with the mare camel and had slain her, so a mighty blast had overtaken them

Prophet Muhammad � (5) beca use of their rebellion. The M uslims rushed to enter the ruined houses of a i-H ijr, but Alla h's M essenger � forbade them from doing so. H e said, ' Do n ot enter the dwelling places of those who were unjust to themselves unless you enter in a weeping state, lest the same calamity as theirs befa l l you. ' He then covered his head and ga lloped away till he crossed the va l l ey. He a lso forbade them to drink the water from its wel ls or to use its water for a b l ution. H e told them to feed their camels with a ny dough they had made with the water and not to eat it themselves. When the M us l ims complained to the Prophet � of the exha ustion of their camels on the way back, he prayed '0 Lord, enable the camels to carry their burdens. You can enable the weak and the strong, the wet and the d ry, to carry burdens o n land a n d sea.' N o sooner had he thus prayed than the camels rega ined their strength and brought their burdens to Madeenah. The M uslims did not complain a bout them again. Those hypocrites who had not taken part in the expedition now went to Allah's M essenger � and made their excuses, which he a ccepted, while reminding them that Al lah, M ost H igh, knew their most secret thoughts. H e, however, told the three bel ievers who had stayed behind to depart from him u ntil Al l a h decided their case, and he gave orders that no one should speak to

lli}

them. For fifty days, they l ived as outcasts. But after the dawn prayer, on the fiftieth day, Al lah's M essenger 3% announced in the M osque that Al l a h had forgiven them. (Soorat at-Tawbah, g: 1 1 8). The congregation rejoiced. Many M us l ims hastened from the Mosque to inform the three men of the good news. The return from Tabook had been at the beginn ing of Ramadhaan in the year gAH . When the men returned from Tabook, they said amongst themselves that their days of fighting were now at an end, and this idea was strengthened by the coming of various del egations, which continued throughout the tenth year. But the Prophet :j warned, 'A body of my people will not cease to fight for the truth until the coming forth of the Antichrist*.' He also said, ' If you knew that which I know, you would laugh l ittle and weep much.' ....�.,��--ff.!i��anti chri�t is a , He warned them . . blmd m ,mankwho ts that his people right eye m wou l d surely ':wliich· all light ts . follow the J ews extin�;uished, as if it and the Christians -:were , � grape. upon the path of d egeneration. H e said, 'You will fol l ow the ways of those that were before you span by span a n d cubit by cubit until, when they go down the hole of a l izard, you would fol low them d own; yet Allah will send to this community, at the head of every hundred years, a person who will renew for it its rel igion.'

ll

��

ffi') Prophet Muhammad � (5) Review A. Fil l in the b l a n ks.

1.

The

march

against

------

Romans

is

called

the

Expedition.

2. The weepers were 3·

the

______

in n um ber.

and many of the

The

stayed behind in the M u'tah Expedition. 4. The effects of the

------

Tabook spring are felt

until this very day.

B. Think-up

1.

What made Abu Khaythamah � finally join the army?

2.

Even though formal wars may have been over, what must M us l ims continue d oing?

3· What else d o you know about the Antichrist? /

/ / / / /

Looking to the Prophet's example, how should one complete a two-rak'ah prayer if one joins the congregation l ate? What d id Abu Dharr � do when he was left behind? Why d id water d ry u p at the Spring of Tabook? H ow was the Tabook Exped ition a blood less victory for the M us l im s? Why d id the Prophet :i l eave the va l ley of a i-H ijr q uickly? What beca m e of the three believers who had stayed behind?

Prophet M uhamm ad

The Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat-ul Wadaa') Hajj is one of the five pillars of I slam. I t was made obl igatory in the tenth year, after the Hijrah. The m ission of the Prophet � was nearing completion. It was necessary for him to bid farewell to his loving companions. He l eft Madeenah for several other reasons: to perform the Hajj, to meet M uslims from far and near, to teach them their faith a n d its rituals a n d to give them his final instructions. He would com mand the M uslims to fol low his teachings and to keep away from every trace of Jaahiliyyah - the Days of I gnorance before the advent of Islam. This Hajj is known by various names such as Hajjat-ul-Balaagh (Hajj of Conveying the M essage); Hajjat-ul­ /s/aam; a n d Hajjat-ul-Wadaa' ( Farewell Pilgrimage). I t is called Hajjat-ul-Balaagh beca use Alla h's M essenger � gave sermons concerning the rituals of the

� ( 6)

Hajj, both in words and thro ugh practical demonstration. I n fact, nothing was left of the important message of I sl a m that he had not then clarified. After he had done that, All a h M ost H igh revealed the verse, 'This day have I perfected for you your religion, fulfilled My favour on you, and have chosen Islam for you as your religion.' (Soorat ai-Maa'idah, 5 :3) It is called Hajjat-ui-Wadaa', for the Prophet � did not perform another Hajj after it and it was his first Hajj since he bega n his mission. The month of Shawwaal had passed and, in the eleventh month of the yea r, it was a n nounced throughout M adeenah that All a h 's Messenger � himself would lead the pilgrimage. The news was sent to the desert tribes. M u ltitudes flocked to Madeenah from a l l directions. People were del ighted at the opportun ity of a ccompanying the M essenger of Allah � at every step on the way. The pilgrimage

� Prophet Muhammad ii (6) would be u n like any other that had been performed for h undreds of years. The pilgrims would all be worshippers of One God, Allah. N o idolater woul d d ishonour t h e Sacred H ouse with the performance of any pagan rites. M ore than a hundred thousand M uslims performed Hajj with him. Once the Prophet � had decided to go o n Hajj, he informed the people of h is intention and they started making ready for the journey. When the news of it spread outside M adeenah, people flocked to the city wanting to accompany him. The crowds stretched before him, behind him and to his right and l eft, as far as the eye could see. Al l his wives were present, each in her howd a h, escorted by Abd ur-Rahmaan ibn Awf �k> a n d ' Uthmaan ibn Affaa n �. On a Saturday of the last four days of the month of Dhul-Qa'dah, the Prophet � started his departure preparations. H e combed his hair, appl ied some perfume, wore h is garment, saddled his camel and set off in the afternoon. He a rrived at Dhui-Hulayfah before the 'Asr prayer. H e spent the night there. When it was morning, he said to his companions, 'A comer sent by my Lord has ca lled on me tonight and said, " Pray in this b lessed va l ley and say 'I intend 'Umrah combined with Hajj"" (Saheeh al-Bukhaaree) Before performing the Dhuhr prayer, he bathed for ihraam (sacred state of pilgrimage) a n d 'Aai'shah � perfumed

him with her hand both on his body and head with dhariyyah (a plant) a n d with a perfume containing m usk. The thick sticky layer could be seen among h is parts of hair and beard. After wearing his clothing for ihraam, he performed the Dhuhr prayer shortened to two rak'ahs. Still at h is prayer-place, he proclaimed that he was a bout to perform Hajj combined with 'Umrah, a n d t h e n pronounced t h e talbiyah, ' H ere I am at Your service, 0 Allah, at Your service! You have no partner. I am at Your service! The Praise, Bl essings a n d the Kingdom are Yours. You have no part n er.' , The multitude chanted the talbiyah along with him as they continued their journey. He entered M akkah on 4 Dhui­ Hijjah, and went straight to the Sacred H ouse. He performed the tawaaf of the Ka'bah and the sa'ee between Safa and M a rwa h. H e stayed in M akkah for four days and then, on the Day of Tarwiyah, 8 Dhui-Hijjah, he made for M ina with h is companions. H e offered Dhuhr and 'Asr prayers and spent the n ight there. At sunrise on 9 Dhui-Hijjah, he rode on to Arafaat, a broad valley about thirteen miles east of M a kkah, just outside the sacred precinct. He was followed by a l l t h e pilgrims. I t was a Friday. Down in the valley, he del ivered a su perb sermon to the people while seated on h is camel. H e confirmed the principles of Islam a n d

Prophet Muhammad � (6) G) struck at the root of idolatry and ignora nce. That address has become a landma rk in M uslim history and a vita l document of Islam. I t has become famous as Khutbatu Hajjatii-Wadaa' (the Farewell Address). Allah's M essenger � started by praising Allah and than king H i m . Then, turning to his aud ience, he added: '0

people! Listen to my words, for I do not know if I am ever going to meet you on such an occasion after this year. 'Your blood, your property and your honour a re as sacred as this day, this month and this city. ' Behold! All practices of paganism and the Days of I gnorance are remitted . The first claim on blood I abolish is that of I b n Rabee'ah ibn H aarith who was being n ursed in the tribe of Sa'd and whom H ud h ayl kil led. Usury is forbidden and I make a beginning by remitting the amount of interest which a i-Abbaas ibn a i-M uttalib has to receive. '0 people! Fear Allah concerning women. I ndeed you have taken them on the security of Allah and have made them lawfu l to you by the word of Allah . . . ' I ndeed, I have l eft among you the Book of Allah, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray.' (Safi-ur- R a h m a a n a i- M u barakpuri, The S ealed Nectar, pp. 540-4 1 )

A powerfu l murmur of assent ' 0 Al lah, yes' a rose from thousands of throats and the vibra nt words Allaah umma na'am rol l ed l ike thunder throughout the va l l ey. Allah's M essenger � raised his forefinger and said, ' 0 Allah, bear witness!' When the khutbah was over, he ca l l ed o n Bilaal to ca l l the adhaan. Then the iqaamah was pronounced and he offered Dhuhr prayer with two rak'ahs, and after the Iqaamah for 'Asr had been given, he prayed that too, with two rak'ahs. After he had finished the prayers, he m ou nted his she-ca mel a n d rode until he c a m e to ai-Niawqif, the halting place at Arafaat. Remaining on h is camel, he kept on supplicating All ah, glorifying and pra ising Him until sunset. At s unset, he moved from Arafaat to M uzdalifah . There he performed the Nlaghrib and the Ishaa' together and spent the night there. At dawn of the fol lowing day, he offered the Fajr prayer and then rode until he a rrived at ai-Niash'ar al-Haraam, the Sacred Site at M uzdalifa h. H e faced the Qiblah a n d began to suppl icate. H e recited the takbeer (AIIaah u Akbar: Allah is S upremely G reat) a n d the tahleel (There is no god but Alla h). Alla h's M essenger � then led the pilgrims to a i-Aqabah before sunrise. I t was at this very p l ace o n this very day some twelve years previously that he had met the six men of ai-Khazraj who had pl edged a l legia nce to him, thus paving the way

� Prophet Muhammad � (6) for the First and the Second Aqabah pledges. He went q uickly to Jamrat ai-Aqabah at Mina and threw pebbles at the pillar. The Prophet � del ivered a sermon in Mina in which he informed the M uslims of the sacredness of the Day of Sacrifice, of its inviolability and its favour with Allah. He a lso rem inded them of the sanctity of M akkah over all other cities. He ordered them to obey their leaders according to the Book of Allah, to adhere to the practices of Hajj he had used and not to turn to unbel ief after his time nor to start fighting amongst themselves. H e commanded them to pass on h is words. 'Worship your Lord, offer your five daily prayers, fast the month of Ramadhaan, and you will enter the Garden of your Lord in peace,' he said. He did n ot go on pilgrimage after that. Th us this Hajj came to be known as the Farewel l Pilgrimage. Then he went to the place of sacrifice at Mina and sacrificed sixty-three camels, one for each year of his life. H e then commanded Ali � to sacrifice the remaining of the h u n d red camels which they h a d brought with

t h e m . The Prophet � then c a l l e d a m a n t o s h ave h i s h e a d . T h e p ilgri m s gathered ro u n d h i m i n t h e h o p e of o bta i n i ng s o m e locks of h i s h a i r. H e divided h i s h a i r between those who were n e a r h i m . Th e n h e rod e to M a kkah and performed the Tawaaf al-lfaadhah . At the w e l l of Zamzam, he d ra n k of its water as m u ch as h e w i s h e d . Th e n he ret u rned t o M i n a where he spent t h e n ight. T h e n ext morni ng, he waited u ntil the s u n h a d d e c l i n ed b efore going to perform t h e rite o f sto n i n g the p i l l a rs. H e started with the sto n i n g of a/-Jamrah al-Oo/aa, then he ston e d the a/-Jamrah ai-Wustaa and fina l ly h e sto n e d the Jamrat ai-Aqabah. This was repeated over the t h ree days of Ayyaam at-Tashreeq, fo l l owing t h e Day of S acrifice. After the three days of at-Tashreeq, h e went to M a kkah a n d perform ed t h e Fa rewe l l Tawaaf before dawn. T h e n h e asked h i s companions t o m a ke rea d y f o r t h e d e p a rture to M a d e e n a h . O n t h e i r return jo urn ey, t h ey stayed t h e n ight at D h u i- H u l ayfa h . H e e ntered M a d e e n a h i n broad d a y l ight.

Prophet Muhammad � (6) (;}

Review A. Answer the following questions.

--�------------�----------

1.

Why did the Prophet � go to M a kkah?

2.

M e ntion the different names of the Prophet's only Hajj.

3·

H ow did such a h uge gathering of M uslims come about for Hajj?

4.

Mention a few points that the Prophet � d iscussed in the Farewel l Sermon.

B. Fill in the b l a n ks.

1.

Hajj was made obligatory in the

_____

year after

the Hijrah. 2.

The Prophet � del ivered the Farewel l Sermon in the Va l ley of

_ _ _ _ _

3 · The sanctity of

-------

is above a l l other cities.

C. Think-up

1.

Why d o you think did the Prophet � divide his hair after having his head shaved?

2.

What a re 1Ayyaam at-Tashreeq' ?

The Prophet's Final I llness and his Subsequent Death Upon returning from his Hajj in the month of Dhui-Hijjah, the Prophet � remained in M adeenah for the rest of the month as wel l as for the months of M uharram and Safar of the year 11 A H . Soon his attention was turned towards the north. In the last days of Safar, the second month of the year, he began to mobilize a huge a rmy. He decided that the time had come to reverse the defeat at M u'tah. commanded He preparations to be made for an expedition against those tribes of Syria which had fla n ked the Roman troops on the day when Zayd ibn H aa rithah � J a'far ibn ' Abee Taalib � and Abdullaah ibn Rawaahah � were kil led. H e

called Zayd's s o n Usaamah to come to him and he put him, despite his youth, in command of the three-thousand-strong a rmy. Usaamah � was only eighteen years old at that time. One night, n ot long after the M essenger of Al lah � had ordered preparations for the Syrian Expedition and before the a rmy had left, he went to the Baqee' graveyard and suppl icated for the dead. The fol l owing morning, he became ill. H is head ached as he had never known it to ache, but he stil l went to the mosque a n d continued t o l e a d t h e prayers as usua l . H e tried to do as he did when he was well, but his illness increased, until the time came when he could pray only in a sitting position.

Prophet Muhammad ii (7)

T h e P ro p h et � gave h is l a st k h u t b a h five d a y s b efore h i s d e a t h . H e m o u nted t h e p u l p i t a n d i n v o k e d b l e s s i ngs o n t h e m a rtyrs of U h u d , a s if h e w e re d o i n g it fo r t h e l a st t i m e . H e t h e n s a i d , 1Th e re i s a s l a v e a m o ngst t h e s l aves of Al l a h t o w h o m A l l a h h a s offered t h e c h o i ce b e t w e e n t h i s w o r l d a n d t h a t w h i c h is with H i m , a n d t h e s l a ve h a s c h o s e n that w h i c h is with A l l a h . ' W h e n h e s a i d t h a t, A b u B a kr wept, for h e k n ew t h a t Al l a h ' s M e s s e n ge r � w a s s p e a k i n g of h i m s e l f a n d t h a t t h e c h o i ce m e a nt i m m i n e n t d e a t h . Al l a h 's M e s s e n g e r � s a w t h a t h e h a d u n d e rstood h is w o r d s a n d t o l d h i m n ot t o w e e p . H e t h e n s a i d , 10 p e o p l e, t h e m o st b e n eficent of m e n t o me in h i s c o m p a n i o n s h i p i s A b u B a kr, a n d if I were t o t a ke from a l l m a n ki n d a b o s o m fri e n d he w o u l d b e A b u B a kr, b u t h e is m y b ro t h e r . ' B efore l ea v i n g t h e p u l p it, h e s a i d , 1 1 go b efo re y o u , a n d I a m y o u r w it n e s s . Yo u r a p p o i n t m e n t w i t h m e w i l l b e a t t h e P o o l , w h i c h I b e h o l d fro m w h e re I n ow sta n d . I d o n ot f e a r for y o u that you s e t u p go d s beside Al l a h , b u t I fe a r for you t h i s w o r l d , l est y o u s e e k to v i e w i t h o n e a n ot h e r in worl d l y ga i n s . '

ffi)

From the mosq ue he went to the apartment of M aymoonah �' whose turn it was to house him. The effort of khutbah to the congregation had increased his fever. H is pain increased. Then, in the apartment of Maymoonah ti@v, he called his wives and asked them to permit him to be looked after in 1Aai'shah's apa rtment. All of them agreed. H e came out wa lking between two men of the family, ai-Fadhl ibn 1Abbaas � and Ali ibn Abee Taa l i b �. His head was bandaged, and his feet were dragging as he entered 1Aai'shah's apartment. had M essenger � Al lah's commanded Usaamah ibn Zayd � to lead an expedition to the Syrian borders. Many of the prominent Emigrants and Helpers, including 1Umar ibn ai-Khattab �, were in h is a rmy. Preparations were hastened on, and Usaamah went out with his army as far as a l-Jurf, a bout three miles to the north of Madeenah, where they encamped. But the Prophet's illness took a serious turn when the army was at a l-J urf. Usaamah broke camp then. After the Prophet's death, Abu Bakr sent forward the a rmy under U saamah himself, following the Prophet's last wishes.

� Prophet Muhammad � (?) At the n ext ca l l to p rayer, Al l a h 's M essenge r � c o u l d n o l o nger l e a d t h e prayer even tho ugh he re m a i n e d s e a t e d . H e , therefore, s a i d t o 'Aa i ' s h a h � ' 'Te l l Abu B a kr to l e a d t h e p e o p l e in p rayer.' B u t 'Aa i ' s h a h � feared that it w o u l d i m m e n s e l y p a i n her father to take t h e pl ace o f t h e M essenge r of Al l a h �. S h e said, ' M essenger of Al l a h ! Abu B a kr is a very sen sitive m a n . H e is not stron g of voice a n d is m u ch given to weeping w h e n h e recites the Q u r' a n . ' B ut t h e P ro p h et � i n s isted, 'Te l l h i m to l e a d

t h e p rayer.' And f o r t h e rest o f h i s i l l ness, Ab u B a kr l e d t h e prayer. Al l a h 's M essenger ·� suffered m u c h pain in h i s i l l n es s . U m m Aym a n �):. was in con sta nt atte n d a n c e . S h e kept her son U s a a m a h inform e d . O n o n e o f t h e s e d a y s d u ri n g w h i c � t h e Proph et's c o n d ition wors e n e d , h e s a i d c o n cerning t h e Ansaar, ' I a d v i s e you t o t a ke c a re o f t h e A nsaar ( H e l p ers ) a n d to be kind to t h e m . T h e y a re very c l o s e to m e . So a ccept fro m t h o s e a mo n g t h e m w h o d o wel l , a n d p a r d o n those among them w h o d o wrong.'

Faatimah � used to visit the Prophet �. At one of these visits, 'Aai'shah � saw him whisper something to his d aughter a n d she began to weep. Then h e confided to her a nother secret, and she began to smile through her tears. Later, 'Aai'shah � asked her what he had said, a n d she answered, 'The Prophet � tol d me that he would die in that illness, and so I wept. Then he tol d me that I woul d be the first member of his household to fol l ow him, a n d so I laughed.'

J a a b i r � s a i d, 'Th ree days before the Prophet � d ied, I h e a rd h i m say, " Let n o o n e a m ong you d i e except w h i l e h e is having good t h o ughts a bo ut A l l a h , the Possessor of M ight a n d M ajesty."' I t was M o n d ay, t h e twe lfth of Rabee' al-Awwal i n the e l eventh year after t h e Hijra h . Early that m o rn i n g, the Prophet's feve r a bated, a n d t h e ca l l to p rayer bro ught

him to the m o s q u e . The prayer h a d a l rea d y begun w h e n h e entere d . When Abu B a kr � rea l ized that t h e P ro p h et � was a p p ro a c h in g, h e stepped back wit h o u t turning h is head, b ut A l l a h's M esse nger � pl aced h i s hand o n his s h o u l d e r and pressed h i m forwa rd a ga i n in fro nt of t h e congregatio n , w h i l e h e h im s e lf sat o n the l eft o f A b u B a kr a n d prayed seate d .

Prophet Muhammad � (7)

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.; :· · : � ')... . �' • :"\·�_.\/-:�:\-:.. �> ;;:·::�;.:!' :/Y ·.;: : :-, 'Then let him spit to h is l eft three times, and l et h im take refuge with Al l a h from Shaytaan three times. And let him turn away from the side he was upon.' That is, if he was lying upon his l eft side, he should turn a round and lie d own on his right side. A person who sees a good dream should rejoice and hope for good to befa l l him. In real ity, he is receiving glad tidings from Allah, M ost H igh. He should inform n o one a bout the dream except those whom he loves. I n other words, he should not seek a n interpretation of his dream from anyone who is not a qualified expert, such as a learned scholar (aalim) or a wise man (hakeem). What One should Say upon Waking up? When one wakes up, one should say before rising from the bed:

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'Al l praise is to Allah, Who has given u s l ife after having taken it from us and to H im is the Final return' ( ai·-Bukhaaree) T he Prophet � said, 'The devil ties three knots on the nape of the neck of anyone of you when he sleeps; on each knot he beats out: You have a long night over you, so sleep. Then, if the m a n awa kens and remem bers Allah, one knot is u ndone, and if he performs a b l ution, the second knot is undone; and if he offers prayer, a l l his knots a re undone, and he becomes energetic and ha ppy of soul, otherwise he becomes evil of soul and lazy.'

Etiquette of Sleeping and Waking up

�

Review A. Fill in the blanks.

1.

One of the blessings of Allah is the succession of ------

2.

and

------

The most beneficial way to sleep is upon one's -------

side.

B. M emorization

Reflect on the etiquette of sleeping and memorize the corresponding suppl ications and practise them in your daily l ife.

C. Think u p

What i s t h e du'aa' that w e say w h e n w e s e e k refuge with Al lah?

/

What etiq uette must one fol low if one sees a bad dream? / Who are the qualified experts who can interpret d reams?

I slam and P e rsona l Hygi e n e

�------�

When girls and boys reach the age of puberty, it is necessary for them to pay attention to personal hygiene or cleanl iness. They must rea lize that n ow they are responsible for praying, fasting a n d observing other obligations just l ike an a du lt. H en ce, they ought t o take care t o stay wel l-groomed, and they s h o u l d keep their body and clothing clean at all times.

Sunan al-Fitrah: The Natural Practices The term fitrah means original purity. Primarily it denotes the original disposition or nature of man. In its wider sense, it signifies the innate faculty to realize Al lah's existence and H is Oneness. This is why the religion of I slam is frequently described as Deen ai-Fitrah, implying that it fully a nswers the innate, original character of h uman nature. Abu H u rayrah � na rrated that the Prophet ti said, 1Five practices a re the characteristics of the fitrah: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, clipping the nails, pl ucking the underarm hair, and cutting the moustache short.' (al-Bukhaaree; M uslim and Abu Daawood) 1Aai'shah � once reported that Al lah's M essenger ti said, 1Fitrah practices a re ten: Trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow, using the siwaak, snuffing water into the nose, cutting the nails, washing the finger joints, pl ucking the underarm hair shaving the pubic hair and using water to clean the private parts.' One of the transmitters of this hadeeth says, 11 have forgotten the tenth and it could be rinsing out the mouth with water.' (M usl im, Abu Daawood and at-Tirmidhee)

Islam and Personal Hygiene Of these ten practices associated with the nature of the physica l body, · five have to do with the head and five with the rest of the body.

Those that concern the head are:

1 . Cl ipping the moustache 2. Al l owing the beard to grow 3 · Cleaning the teeth by using the siwaak. The siwaak is a genera l ly stick, sma l l obtained from the root of the Arak tree, softened on the tip to form a kind of tooth brush 4· S n uffing water to clear the n ostril s 5 · Rinsing mouth the thoroughly Those that apply to the rest of the body are: 6. Clipping the nails 7 · Washing the knuckles and finger joints 8 . Plucking the undera rm hair g . Shaving the pubic region. 1 0. Using water to purify oneself after u rinating.

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'Aai'shah "" said that when Alla h's M essenger � performed gh us/ beca use · of sexual intercourse, he would fi rst wash his hands, pouring water with his right hand over his l eft hand, and wash his private parts. H e would then perform a b l ution as the one normally done for prayer. H e would then take some water in his hand a n d ru n h is fi ngers through the roots of h is hair. Then he would pour three handfuls on h is head, and then pour water over his body, then wash his feet. (ai-Bukhaaree and M uslim)

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* * * * ****** ******* * Circumcision Circumcision is an operation whereby the doctor cuts away a fol d of skin called the foreskin from around the top of the male organ . Circumcision is of the practice of Prophet part l braaheem ��. Among M usl ims, most circumcisions are done when babies a re two or three days old. It is, however, preferred for the circumcision to take place on seventh day after the child's birth. Circumcision is an act of purification and clea n l iness. I t has many adva ntages. Circumcision is obl igatory. I n infancy and child hood, u ncircumcised boys face

«1iiJ Islam and Personal Hygiene difficulties with the foreskin. Filth and urine build up there, which could lead to local infection. ' By the turn of the 21 st century, a new group of physicians and scientists used both laboratory and clinical research to provide convincing evidence of the medical benefits of newborn circumcision in preventing a variety of medical disorders,' says Dr. Edgar Schoen in his new book on the subject of circumcision. This excel lent 1 3 5-page book is published by R D R Books, Berkeley, California. You may also read Guidelines and Fataawa Related to Sickness and M edical Practice by Dr. Aliy Sulaiman Ar-Rumaikhaan. It contains an honest and informative review of circumcision. The book is also published by I nvitation to Islam, London. On Toilet Manners The term istinjaa' means the removal of traces of urine and faeces by means of water. The word istijmaar means the removal of the traces of one's faeces and urine with stones, tissue paper or something of that order. It must be a solid material, clean and capable of serving as a cleansing medium. I t is not permissible to use dried dung or a ny kind of bone for this purpose because these items are food for the jinn.

When a person wishes to go to the toilet, he must set aside a ny a rticle on which there is some reference to Al l a h, M ost H igh, such as a signet ring, a pendant, or anyth ing else of that kind. Before entering the toilet, one should say:

' I n the Name of Al lah. I take refuge in Allah from the male and female devils.' While rel ieving yourself, keep yourself hidden from the view of others. It is a lso important not to face the qib/ah (the direction of the Ka'bah in M a kka h) nor turn your back towards it while doing so. If outside, find a l ocation that is hidden, away from others and where the ground is soft enough so that nothing will splash back on you. It is forbidden to urinate or defecate on public thoroughfares, useful shaded areas, beneath fruit-bearing trees, and similar other locations. This is because people may seek the shelter of their shade and get their clothes soiled in the process; fruit that fa l l s on the ground will also be poll uted. In the toilet, a person should not mention the name of Al l a h, whether in a quotation from the Glorious Qur' a n or in a ny other context, out of respect for H is Name. H e should also avoid touching his private parts with his right hand or

Islam and Personal Hygiene cleansing them with his right h a n d . H e s h o u l d a l so avoid speaking while using the toilet. If h e sneezes, it is enough that he s h o u l d praise A l l a h in his heart, instead of uttering A l-Hamdulil/aah aloud. After rel ieving himself, he s h o u l d pu rify h imself. H e may resort to t h e method o f istijmaar, u s i n g something solid, or to istinjaa', using water. Three stones or other objects l ike toilet paper, a re req ui red a n d they wil l be considered clean if they have n ot been used by a nyone e l se for the purpose of istijmaar. H owever, using water is better. This is based o n the hadeeth of Anas � who said, 'Al l a h's M essenger � used to go out to a n swer the c a l l of nature and a servant boy a n d I would carry a waterskin and a short pointed stick with a metal end ( l it. anazah), a n d he wo u l d c l e a n s e h is private parts with water. ' (ai-Bukhaaree a n d M us l i m ) It is, however, not permissible to use l ess than three stones. But if it is apparent to him from tra ces of m oisture on the last sto ne, h e s h o u l d use extra stones, a l ways using a n odd n u m ber. It is a Sunnah to urinate in a sitting positio n . I t i s , h owever, n o t disl iked to do so while sta n d ing given that he can keep h imself from any impurities l a nding on him. U po n exiting the toil et, it is recommended to say: -; I " I vu �� 0

' I seek Your forgiveness, 0 Al lah.' (Abu Daawood hadeeth no. 3 0, At -Tirm idhee

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hadeeth no. 7 a n d I b n M a ajah hadeeth no. 3 00 a n d it is saheeh) . If one uses a toilet with a ceramic m odern and toil et-bowl other applia nces, one s h o u l d not forget to fl ush it after having used it. If u rine happens to spl atter onto his cloth es, he s h o u l d wash it off until no col o u r or smel l remains. He m u st a l so wash his hands after using the toilet, taking care that no u n p l easant s m e l l remains u n d er or a round the fingernails. I t is recommended to perform wudh oo' after using the toilet so that he is a l ways prepared for prayer and other a cts of worship.

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M ention the five p ra ctices of fitrah, according to the hadeeth . What is circu mcision and what is the wisdo m behind it? What is istijmaar? What materials can a n d can not b e used in this method of cleansing? If one can n ot fi n d a toil et, what care s h o u l d one take while rel ieving oneself o utdoors? What s h o u l d one d o if urine d rops soil one's cl othing?

� Islam and Personal Hygiene prays, an angel comes to him and he stands behind him and listens to the Qur'an and he stands close. And he contin ues to listen and stand close u ntil he places his mouth to his mouth, so that he does not recite a singl e verse without it entering the angel."' (a i-Bayhaqee, and it is saheeh) Upon entering the house 1Aai'shah � was once asked, 1What would the Prophet ii do first when he entered the house?' She replied, 1 H e would use the siwaak.' ( M uslim a n d Abu Daawood) 4.

The Siwaak The use of siwaak is recommended at a l l times, and it is strongly preferred to use it on the following occasions: When performing wudhoo' Abu H u rayra h � said, 1Were it not that it would be a burden upon my Ummah (community), I would have ordered them to use the siwaak whenever they perform wudhoo'.' (Ahmad, and it is a sound hadeeth) 1.

Before offering salaah This is based upon the hadeeth of Abu H u rayra h � who said, 1Al lah's M essenger � said, 11Were it not that it would be a burden upon my Ummah, I would have ordered them to use the siwaak at the time of every prayer."' (ai-Bukhaaree and M uslim) 2.

3·

Before reading the Qur'an This is based upon the hadeeth of Al i ibn Abee Ta lib � who said, 1We were ordered [by the Prophet �] to use the siwaak. H e said, 11Whenever the slave

5· On getting up at night Whenever Al lah's M essenger � got up at night, he would clean his teeth with a siwaak.' (ai-Bukhaaree and M uslim) As we have pointed out a bove, the siwaak is a small stick generally obtained from the root of the Arak tree and softened on the tip to form a kind of tooth brush. The best type of siwaak is made from the Ara k tree. 1The siwaak should not be made from an u n known tree, for this might be poisonous. One must use it in moderation. Excessive use might cause one to remove the enamel of the teeth that gives it its elegant shine. When used in a moderate way, it cleanses the teeth, strengthens the centre of the tongue, frees the tongue, prevents cavities, sweetens the breath, cleanses the brain, and arouses appetite for food.

Islam and Personal Hygiene 'The siwaak has many benefits: it refreshes the mouth, strengthens the gums, cuts phlegm, makes the sight clear, removes cavities, makes the stomach healthy . . . ' (Medicine of the Prophet � by Imaam I bn ai-Qayyim ' a i-Jawziyya h)

Clipping the fingernails and toenails is a Sunnah. Doing it, however, with the teeth (nail-biting) is viewed with disfavour. It is a Sunnah to clip one's moustache and to pluck the underarm hair. H owever, if one finds this rea l ly hard, one should shave them instead, It is not disli ked to do so, for shaving the undera rm hair is a lso a Sunnah. On the subject of shaving the pubic region, pl ucking the undera rm hair and cl ipping the nails, the basic source is the statement of Anas ibn Maalik who is reported to have said, 'The Prophet � set us a time l imit of forty nights beyond which we should not go without trimming the moustache, clipping the nails, pl ucking the underarm hair and shaving the pubic region.' ( I bn M aajah, and it is a uthentic)

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It is perm issible to remove the pubic hair and the u ndera rm hair by any method which one finds convenient and easy to use: plucking, shaving, cutting, using wax treatments, strip hair removers, or with any variety of special depilatory creams and ointments, which are available in the market for this purpose. It is a lso permissible to use a razor for the same purpose. Modern day razors a re sharper and more effective than depilatory creams. I n fact, this is an individual th ing and a matter of personal choice.

If you bothered by your body odour or the amount of your u n d e ra r m perspiration, you may want to use a deodora nt or an antiperspira nt. But remember that body smells a re natural and normal, and unless the odour or the amount of perspiration bothers you, it is not really necessary to use anything. J ust keep yourself clean. Adolescent girls and women must be ca utious of using deodora nts that carry a smell when leaving the home, due to the fact that women are not a l l owed to wear perfume before going out.

� Islam and Personal Hygiene It is not an I slamic practice to shave part of the head and leave part of it unshaven. Some women apply fingernail and toenail polish, and this completely covers the nail, preventing water from reaching the skin or the nail itself d uring wudhoo'. This is not perm itted . Women are obliged to offer sa/aah a n d cannot perform ablution with such nail polish on because it prevents the water from reaching the parts that must be washed d u ring the ablution. It is permissible, however, to dye the fingernails with henna since it does not seal the surface of the nails. Image Management It is natura l for one to l ook one's best. But a bel iever should not go too far in matters concerning his or her appearance or l ooks. People who spend a lot of time caring for their outward appea rance are likely to have less time for more significant things, such as prayer, studies or hel ping others. Allah's M essenger � mentioned the curse u pon people who tattoo themselves, make spaces between their teeth, file their teeth, use a rtificial hair such as wigs, hairpieces, hair extensions, and ma king similar attempts to change their true appearances, as well as those who apply these treatments to others. Some girls' and women's ha bit of growing their fi ngernails very long is, therefore, d iscouraged in Islam.

Islam and Personal Hygiene

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Review A. Fill in the blanks.

1.

The term fitrah l itera lly means

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is the removal of traces of urine

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and faeces by using water. 3·

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is the ideal method of cleansing after

one visits the toilet.

4 · It is

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for a M uslim to urinate while

sitting.

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What is the siwaak? Why should it be used moderately? M ention the hadeeth regarding the removal of the undera rm a n d p ubic hair. What should one do if one suffers from body odours? What is I slam's ru ling regarding nail pol ish? Why should one be moderate in grooming oneself?

Purifica t ion is On e H alf of Fai t h: Forms of Purifica t ion We have been discussing a n um ber of topics that are relevant to your life right now as well as to your future. I n this unit, we will touch o n a few topics l ike puberty, menstruation, wet d reams, purification, among other things.

Puberty Puberty is a time in people's lives when their bodies a re cha nging from children's bod ies into adults' bodies. The bodies of girls and boys change q u ite a lot as they go through p u berty or adolescence. During puberty, a boy grows taller at a faster rate than he ever will aga in in his l ife. The genera l shape of his body also changes. H is shoulders become broader. H is h ips seem narrower in comparison. H is m uscles develop and his body strength increases. H is whole body begins to look manly. H a ir begin to grow in pla ces it never grew before - a round his genitals, under h is a rms, and on h is face. Puberty, h owever, takes place slowly a n d

gradual ly, over a period o f months o r yea rs. M a ny physical, mental, emotional a n d spiritual changes take place d u ring p u berty. Both boys and girls begin to look d ifferent, feel d ifferent and think differently than they felt just a year before. Like boys, girls go through a growth spurt or surge d u ring p u berty a n d start to grow taller at a faster rate. These cha nges begin somewhere between the ages of g and 1 3 for girls and between 1 1 a n d 1 5 for boys. The general shape or contour of a girl's body also cha nges as she goes through p u berty. This gives her body a m ore 1womanly' shape. She, too, begins to grow hair d uring puberty.

Purification is One Half of Faith Menstruation: A Girl's First Step into Womanhood A girl has her first menstrua l period sometime between the ages of nine and sixteen. The average is about thirteen. Another name for menstruation is the period of month, the monthly period or simply the period. N orma l ly, the period lasts about three to seven days every month, and then it stops. The cycle repeats itself month after month, throughout most of a woman's l ife. Once she gets to be about 4 8 to 55 years old, the cycle stops. This stopping of the monthly cycle is called menopa use. H owever, this is n ot a hard and fast rule. There are lots of exceptions. For one thing, women stop menstruating when they get pregnant. The fi rst time a girl menstruates is a very important event in her l ife. It means she has reached puberty and is lega lly an adult woman . From that moment onward and for the rest of her l ife, just like any M uslim woman, she is responsible for a l l of her religious d uties, such as offering prayers, fasting and covering herself properly. Mention of Menstruation in the Glorious Qur'an The Qur'an says,

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'And they ask you about menstruation. Say: It is a harm, so keep away from women during their monthly courses, and do not approach them until they are clean; and when they are purified, you may approach them as Allah has commanded you to do.' (Soorat a/-Baqarah, 2: 222) The command to keep away from women d uring this period means not having sexual relationship with them in their period. This does not mean that people should a bstain from sitting together on the same floor or eating together when a woman has her monthly period, making her virtually untouchable, as was the custom among the J ews a n d certain other rel igious groups. The explanation of this command by the Prophet ·;i makes it clear that d u ring this period men are only required to keep away from having sexual rel ations. No change is s uggested in other relationships, and a woman is to be treated in the normal way. Allah's M essenger � is reported to have said, 'You may do everything with the menstruating woman except for sexua l intercourse.' (M uslim, Abu Daawood and at-Tirmid hee) haydh word Ara bic The (menstruation) l itera l ly means 'flowing' or 'running', while the term adhaa (harm ) refers to discomfort, h u rt or an noyance in general, and is a lso

� Purification is One Half of Faith understood to indicate impurity. N ormally, a period is six or seven days, less or more in some women. H owever, there is no minimum or maximum numbers of days for it. Its duration is according to the norm for each individual woman. An-Nifaas or Postnatal Bleeding Postnatal bleeding is the blood that flows after giving birth. Its maximum length is forty days. H owever, there is no specific minimum time period for it. If a woman gives birth to twins, the period of postnatal bleeding begins with the birth of the first child, not the second. If the blood stops flowing before forty days, the woman should perform ghus/ and purify herself. If it continues beyond forty days, she should perform ghus/ upon the completion of forty days and be considered pure. Umm Salamah �Je, said, ' During the lifetime of the Prophet � ' a woman in her postnatal bleeding would wait for forty days.' (meaning not to pray, not have sexual intercourse and so on) (Abu Daawood, and at-Tirmidhee, and it is saheeh)

What is for Forbidden a Menstruating Woman and a Woman in her Postnatal Bleeding While a woman is on her menses, it is forbidden for her to offer sa/aah, fast, read the Qur'an from a copy of the Qur'an, perform the tawaaf of the Ka'bah, or have sexual intercourse. It is important,

however, to note that the obligatory fasts she misses must be made up for later, though not the missed prayers, after she becomes pure. Mu'aadhah �Je, said, 'I asked 'Aai'shah �Je,, "Why does the menstruating woman make up for her fasts but not her prayers?" She replied, "We experienced these things during the time of the M essenger of Allah � and he commanded us to make up for our fasts, but he did not command us to make up for our prayers.'" (Muslim, at-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah) When the bleeding ceases she should perform ghus/. The things mentioned above are no longer unlawful for her after she performs ghus/. Abnormal Prolonged Flow of Blood (lstihaadhah) This refers to the bleeding a woman suffers from at times other than menses or postnatal bleeding. The ruling concerning istihaadhah is that it is a condition that does not prevent one from performing the prayer or fasting. The woman suffering from this condition should perform ablution for every prayer. It is permissible for her to have sexual intercourse with her husband. A menstruating married woman should not be divorced while on her menses. One should rather wait until she becomes pure from the period, then she may be divorced, without having sexual intercourse with her. Ghus/ is obligatory for the woman when her menses end.

Purification is One Half of Faith Pilgrimage during Menses and Postnatal Bleeding Women on their menses or with postnata l bleeding may perform ghus/, enter the inviolable state or ihraam and perform a l l of the rites of the pilgrimage except for making rounds of the Ka'bah ( tawaaf). They do not perform the tawaaf of the Ka'bah until they become clean.

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M e ntion in detail the changes that take place d uring puberty. What does beginning of menstruation signify? H ow should men behave towards a menstruating woman? H ow should a woman behave when her postnatal bleeding stops before forty days or if her bleeding continues past forty days? What is forbidden for a woman who is menstruating or undergoing postnata l bleeding? What is istihaadhah? H ow should a woma n p urify herself after menstruation?

Wet Dreams: Boys Become Men The scientific term for wet d reams is nocturn a l emissions. N octurnal means d uring the night, and emissions a re things that are emitted or sent forth. So,

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nocturnal emission is ejaculation (sperm em itted or sent forth) at night. The Arabic word maniyy refers to both male sperm and female sexua l fl uid. Boys sometimes ejaculate while they are asleep. Th is marks the o nset of puberty. Many boys have their fi rst ejaculation d u ring a wet d ream. Do wet dreams only happen at night? Do they only happen when boys are asleep? The answer is that wet dreams could happen a nytime one is asleep. If you take a nap d u ring the day, it would be possible for you to have a wet d ream. Some boys d o not experience wet d reams, yet they are considered to be young men by the age of fifteen, a ccord ing to Sharee'ah or Divine Law. I n short, ejaculation of sperm, regardless of whether one is asleep or awake, ma kes the ghus/ obl igatory. Once, Umm Salamah • asked the Prophet � 'M essenger of Allah! Allah ' does not shy away from the truth. Does a woman have to perform ghus/ if she has a wet dream?' H e a nswered, 'Yes, if she sees the fl uid.' (ai-Bukhaaree, M uslim a n d at-Tirmidhee) If a ny other fl uid comes out not as a result of sexual a rousal, then the a rea is to be washed, and only wudhoo' needs to be performed. If someone experiences a wet d ream but sees no fl uid, then ghus/ is not obligatory. But if one finds fl uid but does not reca l l the wet d ream, it is obl igatory

@) Purification is One Half of Faith on him or her to perform ghus/. 'Aai'shah � said, 'Al lah's M essenger � was asked a bout a man who found wetness but did n ot recall experiencing a wet d ream . Al lah's Messenger � stated, " H e must perform ghus/." Then he was asked a bout a man who experienced such a d ream but found n o fl uid and he said, "Ghus/ is n ot obl igatory upon him."' (at-Tirmidhee, and it is saheeh) Conditions for the Purificatory Bath (Ghusl)

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Ghusl becomes obligatory in the following conditions: 1 . Ejacu lation, regardless of whether one is asleep or awa ke. 2. When menses and postnatal bl eeding come to an end. 3 · Sexual intercourse even if one does not ejaculate. 4 . Acceptan ce of Islam. Qays ibn 'Aasim � said that when he accepted I slam, Al lah's M essenger � commanded him to perform gh us/ with water and l ote leaves. (Ahmad, at-Tirmidhee and Abu Daawood, and it is saheeh) Ghusl is not obligatory: 1 . When there is a n unl ustful discharge of thin, sticky white fl uid called madhiyy in Ara bic or 2. When there is a discharge of the thick, cloudy white fl uid called wadyy that comes out after urinating or carrying something heavy, or due to

any other reason. Ghusl is which for Acts recommended 1 . Performing t h e Friday Prayer 2. U pon entering the inviolable state of the pilgrimage (ihraam) 3 · Washing a dead body 4. For each prayer by a woman who has a prolonged flow of blood (istihaadhah) 5 · For entering M a kkah 6. On the occasion of the two 'Eeds

Pillars of Ghusl 1 . The Niyyah (I ntention): One must begin with the specific (niyyah), meaning that one m ust have made a firm resol ution to remove the major causes of ritual impurity (al-hadath al-akbar) or the condition of uncleanl iness; after the factor obligating the ghusl has stopped, for example, the menses have come to a n end, etc. 2. M a king sure that water reaches a l l the parts of the body, including inside the mouth and nose.

Purification is One Half of Faith The Sunan of Ghusl 1 . Mentioning the Name of Allah (by saying Bismillah) at the moment of reach ing for the water. 2. Washing the private parts. Washing off any obnoxious s ubstance that may be adhering to the body. the hands before 3 · Washing immersing them into the conta iner of water. 4 · Performing a complete wudhoo' like that for prayer, though it is perm issible to delay washing the feet until one has completed the gh usl. s . Pouring water over the head three times, while running the fingers through the hair so that water reaches the roots. 6 . Pouring water over the whole body, beginn ing with the right side, then the left one. This practice is based upon the hadeeth of 'Aa i'shah • who said, 'When the M essenger of Allah � wa nted to perform ghusl beca use of sexual intercourse, he wou ld first wash his hands, then pour water with his right hand on his left hand and wash his private parts. He would then perform a blution as that done for the prayer. H e would then take some water i n h is hand and run his fingers through the roots of h is hair. Then he would pour three handfuls on his head; and then pour water over his body, and then wash his feet.' (M uslim)

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Disliked Acts Related to Ghusl

1.

Wasting water or using it extravagantly 2. Washing in an impure place 3 · Washing without having some sort of screen which prevents others from seeing the person having gh usl Extravagance in the use of water should be avoided. Economy is the praiseworthy approach we M uslims are urged to take. Using the minimum quantity of water required to ensure com pliance with the ru les of gh usl and wudhoo' is m uch better than wasteful excess.

� Purification is One Half of Faith Review A. Fil l in the blanks.

1 . The time when children's bodies cha nge into a d u lts' bodies is cal led

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2. N ormally,

menstruation

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3 · A woman

istihaadhah

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must

perform

for every prayer.

4 · Wet dreams occur to both men and

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to

days.

experiencing

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lasts

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What is a wet d ream? Does it necessitate ghusl? If not, then why? / Under what circumstances does ghusl become obligatory? / List the sunan of ghus/? / Can one say the niyyah aloud? why or why n ot?

Matters o f Dress and Adornment

The G ra c i o u s Q u r ' a n l a ys d ow n a g e n e ra l ru l e o n a d o r n m e n t or b e a u t ification a s fo l l ow s : 1Say: W h o i s i t t h a t h a s proh ibited the adorn m e n t o f A l l a h, which H e has brought forth for H is servants and the good [ l awfu l ] th ings o f provisions?' ( 7 : 3 2 ) The proper m e a n i n g of t h e w o rd zeenah i s a b e a utify i n g t h i n g t h a t d o e s n o t d isgra c e o r m a ke u n s e e m l y . The e x p re s s i o n i n c l u d e s b o t h t h e d ress a n d m a ke - u p o f a p e r s o n . Zeena h h a s f u rt h e r b e e n e x p l a i n e d a s i n c l u d i n g s p iritu a l a d o rn m e nt s u c h a s know l e d ge a n d s o u n d b e l i efs, b o d i l y a d o rn m e nt s u c h a s stre ngth a n d ta l l n e ss o f stature ; a n d o uter a d o r n m e n t such a s wealth a n d d ign ity. ( E. W. La n e : v o l . I , p . 1 2 8 0 ) T h e Q u r ' a n says, 1Don your zeenah when setting out for every

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(Zeenah )

masjid, and eat a n d drink but d o not be excessive, for indeed, H e does not l ike those who a re excessive.' ( 7 : 3 1 ) A l l a h d o e s n o t w a n t t o s u bj e ct u s t o w a n t, m is e ry o r s t a rva t i o n . H e d o e s n o t w a n t t o d e p rive u s of t h e good t h i ngs o f t h i s w o rl d ly l ife . O n t h e c o n trary, i t p l e a s e s H i m t h a t we s h o u l d a p p e a r in a g o o d , d e cent d re s s a n d e njoy t h e g o o d and p u re food H e h a s p rovi d e d for u s . Th e re is n o t h i n g s i nfu l i n that. As for sin, it c o n s ists i n ove rste p p i n g the l i m its set by H i m . T h i s overste p p i n g c o u l d b e c o m m itt e d by m a ki n g t h e u n l awfu l l awfu l , o r by m a k i n g t h e l awfu l u n l awfu l . Th u s i t i s i m p o rt a nt and to w e l l-dressed be w e l l-gro o m e d . I t i s a fact t h a t i t i s t h e fi rst i m p r e s s i o n t h a t rem a i n s t h e l a s t i n g i m p r e s s i o n . A n d fi rst i m pre s s i o n s a re l a rg e l y form e d b y o n e ' s a p p e a ra n ce; i n d e e d , very oft e n by a p p e a ra n ce a l o n e . A d i s h eve l l e d a p p e a r a n ce, t h e refore, p uts a p e rs o n a t a d i s a d v a ntage, t o b e g i n with, i n t h e e y e s o f t h e o b s e rver. Awkward n e s s ­ a n u n t i d y a p p e a ra n ce, i l l -fitt i n g c l ot h e s - attra cts 'atte n t i o n ' . The P ro p h et � o n ce saw a m a n w i t h u n ke m p t h a i r a n d re m a rked, ' D o e s this m a n h a v e n o t h i n g with w h i c h to com b his h a i r?' He a l s o saw

G) Matters of Dress and Adornment (Zeenah) a n ot h e r m a n w h o was weari n g a d i rty garm ent a n d s a i d , ' Co u l d h e not fi n d a nyth i n g with w h i c h t o w a s h h i s garme nt?"' (Abu D a awood, a n- N a s a e e a n d oth e rs, a n d it is saheeh) Once a man came to the P ro p h et ;I i n cheap-looking garments a n d t h e P ro p h et ;I a s ked h i m , ' Do you h a v e p roperty?' t h e m a n a n swered, 'ye s . ' 'Wh a t ki n d o f property?' a s ke d t h e P ro p h et ;i . The m a n mentioned a number of categories. Al l a h ' s M essenger ;i t h e n s a i d t o h im , ' S i n ce Al l a h h a s given you wealth, l et H im s e e the effect of H is favo u r a n d b o u nty u p o n yo u . ' ( A b u D a a wood,

a n- N a s a a ' e e a n d others, and it is saheeh) B ut wa rning against excessive n e s s, the P ro p h et � p ro h i b ited gro o m i n g t h e h a i r except every other d ay (Abu D a awood, a n - N a sa a ' e e and others, and it is saheeh) M uslim scho l a rs have mentioned that t h i s p ro h i bition a p p l i e s only to men, m e a n i n g it is d i s l iked that m e n b e co n sta n t l y b us y w i t h gro o m i n g t h e i r h a ir. Clothing m u st cover the 'awra h . T h e 'awra h refers t o t h e a re a o f a person that m u st b e covered i n fro nt of oth e rs . A l l of a w o m a n is

Requirements in Dress which are strictly Essential A. It m ust cover one's nakedness. B oth men and women must cover their 'awrah . B . The dress should be thick enough so as not to reveal the colour of the skin or the parts req uired to be covered. C. The dress must be l oose e nough so as not to d e s c ribe the shape of the wearer's body. D . I t s h o u l d n o t be the d ress o f fame, pride and vanity. E. I t should not be clothing that is indicative of the non-M uslims. F. I t is considered reprehensible for men to imitate woman's style of dress, just as it is forbidden for women to imitate the style of men. This is because the Prophet ;i cursed those people who would do such a thing a n d warned them against it.

Matters of Dress and Adornment (Zeenah) consid ered 'awra h , except for t h e face and t h e h a n d s a s far as t h e wrists. The 'awra h of a man consists of t h e a re a between t h e n a v e l a n d t h e knees. is Covering one's 'awra h o b l igatory w h e n being with oth ers a n d for the prayer to b e v a l i d . M an 's Dragging t h e Hem of H is Garment Al lah's M essenger � recommended wearing t h e lower garm ent we l l a bove t h e a n kl e, and he said, 'Whatever is l ower than t h e a n kl e s is i n the Fire . ' ( a l - B u k h a a ree) The threat of Fire i n d icates that it is u n l awfu l , a n d if it is d o n e with a rrogance. A l l a h ' s M esse nger � s a i d , 'Al l a h w i l l not l o o k at o n e who d ra gs something [ of h i s garment] o u t of a rroga n c e . ' (Ab u Daawood, a n d it is saheeh) Al l a h ' s M essenge r � a l so said, 'Wh i l e a m a n was wa l ki n g along i n a new set of clothes, with a swagger or / / /

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s h ow-off to h is step, p l eased with h imse lf, a n d his h a i r combed d own, Allah, M ost H igh, caused the e a rth to swa l l ow h i m u p , a n d h e wi l l keep o n s i n ki n g until the Last Day.' ( a l- B u kh a a ree) As for women, Al l a h 's M es s e n ge r � c o m m a n d e d them to l o w e r the garment a hand s p a n o r a fore-a rm 's l ength to a s s u re that t h e i r feet a re covere d . ( I b n H ib b a a n , a n d it is saheeh)

Explain the term zeenah. What is sin? What is 'awrah? Mention the 'awrah for men and women. H ow should men wear their l ower garments, such as trousers? What is I slam's teaching on men and women imitating each other? How should a M uslim woman wear her headdress (khimaar)?

� Matters of Dress and Adornment (Zeenah)

Silk or Gold While it is prohibited for men to wear gold and silver, it is a l lowed for women to do so. The Prophet :i said, 'Only those with no share in the next world wear silk in this one.' (ai-Bukhaaree) 'Wearing gol d and s i l k has been m a d e unlawful for men of my comm unity, but it is perm issible for women.' (ai-Bukhaaree) The Prophet � once saw a gold ring on a man's finger, and he immediately took it and threw it away, saying, ' Does a person pick u p a piece of burning coal and hold it in his hand?' After the Prophet � had left the place, someone asked the man, 'Why don ' t you pick it u p a n d benefit from it?' H e repl ied, ' N o, by Al lah, I shall n ot pick it up after the Prophet � has thrown it away.' (M uslim) The most excell ent type of clothing is that which provides good cover and protection, and the most excel lent

colour for clothes is white. Samurah ibn J u ndub � narrated that the M essenger of Allah :i said, 'Wear white garments, for they a re purer and better.' (at-Tirmidhee , hadeeth no. 2810 and I b n M aajah, hadeeth n o . 3 567, a n d i t is saheeh) Choice of clothing ca nnot first be governed by what one likes best or by what is least expensive; it is rather governed by the unchanging principles of decency I slam has ta ught us. The main problem in the matter of modern styles is a mora l one. Boys and girls d ress immodestly by wearing low-sl u ng tight trousers and jeans, or by not wearing as much clothing as to cover their 'awra h properly.

Matters of Dress and Adornment (Zeenah)

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Why should M uslims refrain from the costumes of non-M uslims? / Why is gol d a n d silk forbidden for men? / What should be our criteria for choosing clothes?

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Earning a Live l ihood by Lawful M e ans

(ai-Kasb ai-Halaal)

Wealth may be acquired in three ways: by earning, by inheritance and by gift. Obtaining wealth or property is recognized by I slam as one of the basic laws regulating human society. I slam does not forbid efforts for one's sustenance and living in this world. I nstead, it guides one to the proper way of supporting oneself and living in this world. It guides one to the proper balance between this life and the afterlife. I t is natural for humans to find the good things of this life attractive and a l l uring, but a bel iever does not make the goods of this world his ultimate goal. World ly needs and pleasures never penetrate his heart such that they become foremost in it and become his main preoccupation and goal . On the subject of earning a livelihood (kasb ), ai-M iqdaam � narrated that Al lah's M essenger � said, 'No one consumes a ny food better than that which was earned by his own hands. The Prophet of Allah, Daawood �� used to eat what he had earned by his own hands.' (al-Bukhaaree)

Abu H urayrah �k> reported that Alla h's M essenger � said, 'It is better for one of you to bring a load of firewood on his back and sell it than to ask of another who might give him or decline to give him.' (al-Bukhaaree) There is No Harm in Wealth so long as it is Obtained Lawfully J aabir ibn Abdullaah � narrated that the M essenger of Allah � said, '0 people! Fear Allah and be moderate in earning a l iving, for no person will die until he has received a l l his provision, even if it is slow in coming. So fear Allah and be moderate in earning a living; take that which is permissible and leave that which is forbidden.' ( I bn M aajah: hadeeth no. 2144, and it is saheeh) The Noble Qur'an denounces all unlawful means of acquiring property: ' 0 you who believe! Do not consume one another's wealth by false means. But rather, let there be free trade with consent among yourselves.' (4: 29)

Earning a Livelihood by Lawful Means Dignity of Labour Some people consider certain kinds of work or professions as contemptible. H owever, the Prophet � denounced the validity of such a notion . A M uslim m a y earn h is livelihood by engaging in agriculture, trade, industry or by any other profession or employment as long as it does n ot involve doing, supporting or promoting a nything which is u n lawful . Earning through Trade The Glorious Qur'an a n d the hadeeth urge M uslims to engage in trade and commerce and to undertake journeys for what the Qur'an calls 'seeking the bounty of Al lah'. (see for example: 73:20; 3 5 : 1 2; 3 0:46; and 2:1 64) The true bel ievers a re men of a ction whose distinguishing q u a l ity is that the affairs of the busy worl d do n ot make them forget their obligations to their Creator. These a re some of the teachings of the Qur'an concern ing trade and commerce. The Prophet :;i, by his words and deeds, outlined the rul es of trade, encouraging and urging M uslims to engage in it. Forbidden Kinds of Trade I slam prohibits those types of trade which involve injustice, cheating, making inordinate profits or the promotion of something which is unlawful (Haraam).

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It is forbidden to do business in alcoholic beverages, intoxicants, drugs, pigs, idols, statues or a nything whose use and consumption I slam has prohibited. Any earnings from such businesses are sinful H onesty earnings. and trustworthiness in such businesses will not be counted as meritorious, for I slam came to fight and destroy such practices.

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What is I sl am's view on acquiring wealth? / M ention a few forbidden types of trade.

Earning through Agriculture I n the Qur'an, while referring to H is bounties and favours to mankind, Allah, M ost H igh, mentions the principles req uired for the pursuit of agriculture. H e has spread out the earth and made it s uita ble and fertile for cultivation and production. H e has also provided water

@') Earning a Livelihood by Lawful Means in abunda nce. H e sends it down as rain and makes it flow in streams to revive the earth after it is dead. Further, H e sends t h e winds to draw the clouds a n d scatter t h e seeds. I n several Qur'anic verses, there is encouragement for us to engage in agricultura l activity, for it has been made easy for us as a D ivine Favour. (See for instance 1 5: 1 9-22, 5 5 : 1 0-13, 7 1 : 1 9-20 a n d 8 o : 24-28) Allah's M essenger ;i said, 'When a M uslim plants a plant or cultivates a crop, no bird or human being eats from it without it being counted as a for him.' rewardable charity (al-Bukhaaree and M us l im) This hadeeth shows that the reward of the person who plants a tree or a crop continues as long as the produce of th is tree or crop is eaten or used, even though he may have sold it to someone else. This is why some scholars have a rgued that agriculture is the best of say occupations. Others that manufacturing and hand iwork a re best, while others consider trade to be the best. Some schola rs say that it all depends upon circumstances: if food is scarce, agriculture is the best; if people need goods, trade is the best; and if man ufactured goods are needed, industry is the best. Industries and Professions Islam does not want people to limit their economic activity solely to agricu lture. The Qur'an mentions many

industries, terming them Al l a h's favour a n d bounty. Of Prophet Daawood �1, the Qur' a n says: 'And We made iron soft for him, and then said to him: Make full coats of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armour.' (34: 1 0-1 1 ) The Qur'an says of Prophet Sulaymaan �1: 'And We caused a spring of molten brass to flow for him.' (34: 1 2) Al lah also mentions the story of Prophet Nooh and the building of the great ark. He also mentions great ships the size of mountains which sail the seas: 'And of H is wondrous signs are the ships running with hoisted sails in the sea like mountains.' ( 42: 32) The Qur' a n a l s o mentions hunting in a l l its varied forms, from catching fish and the pursuit of land anima ls, to d iving in the deep for pearls and the like.

Earning a Livelihood by Lawful Means I t is very i nteresting to note that the Q u r ' a n m a kes m e ntion of iron in very e m p hatic terms. A l l a h, M ost H igh, refers to iron as having been sent down . The Q u r ' a n says, 'And We sent down iron from the heavens in which there is mighty force, and in which there are many benefits for a l l people.' (57: 2 5 ) It is n ot s u rprising that the soorah conta i n i ng this verse is c a l l e d a/-Hadeed ( I ron).

Islam has given d ign ity to m a ny professions w h ich people genera l l y consider l owly a n d d egra d ing - for exa m p l e the occupation of shepherd . Although people do n ot look upon s hepherds with esteem or hono ur, A l l a h 's M essenger � said, 'Al l a h d id n ot send a p rophet who d i d n ot tend sheep.' H is companions a sked, 'Yo u too, M essenger of Al la h?' H e rep l ied, 'Yes, I tended sheep for wages for the people of M a kka h.' (ai-Bukha aree) Al l a h 's M essenger � used to tend sheep! M o reover, they were n ot even his own sheep b ut bel onged to the

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peop l e of M a kkah, a n d h e tended them for fixed wages. He tol d his com panions this i n order to teach them that h o n o u r bel ongs to those who work a n d n ot to those who l ike to be idle. and Professions I n dustries Condemned by Islam Islam h a s forb i d d e n certain p rofessions and i n d u stries beca use they a re harmfu l to the beliefs, m ora ls, h o n o u r or good m a n ne rs of the society.

Deal ing in Rib aa Al l a h has forbidden ribaa i n many places of the Q ur'a n . For example, the Qur'an says: '0 you who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains from ribaa if you are indeed believers. And if you do not do it, then take notice of war from Allah and H is Messenger.' (2:279 - 2 8 0 ) H ere A l l a h wa rns the bel ievers that if they d o n ot l eave this m ajor sin, then they will be at war with H i m . a.

� Earning a Livelihood by Lawful Means b. Making Images and Similar Objects Once a man came to I bn Abbaas � a n d said, ' I bn Abbaas, I earn my living with my own hands. I make these images.' I b n Abbas said, 'I shall tell you only that which I heard from the M essenger of Allah �. I heard him say, "Al lah will punish anyone who makes images until he can breathe spirit into them, which he will never be able to do."' Seeing the man extremely upset, I b n Abbaas � added, 'What ails you? If you m ust make images, then make them of trees or of something which has no soul.' (ai-Bukhaaree) c.

Prostitution Prostitution, for example, is legal in many countries. Permits and licenses are issued to those who practise this trade. Prostitution enjoys rights similar to other professions. Islam strictly rejects a n d condemns this practice. It forbids a ny female to earn money by selling her body. In fact, it forbids all forms of prostitution. d. Dancing and Other Erotic Arts I slam does not al low sexual ly exciting dancing or any other exotic activity, such as obscene songs, provocative dramas, and every type of activity which some people today m istakenly call a rt a n d progress. The fact is that Islam prohibits every sort of sexual affa ir and sexual relationship outside marriage. This is the

secret behind the magnificent words of the Qur'an proh ibiting adu ltery: 'And do not ever approach illicit sexual intercourse. I ndeed, it is utter lewdness and a most evil way.' ( 17: 32) This verse shows that not only is ill icit sex forbidden, but a lso a nything which brings one near to it. In short, Islam prohibits M uslims to engage in a ny ind ustry, business or profession which deals in, or promotes anyth ing which is u n lawful .

Earning a Livelihood by Lawful Means

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H ow can agriculture be viewed as a means of l ivelihood? / Why has Allah forbidden certain professions in Islam? / M ention a few professions which Islam has prohibited.

' Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, the third rightly-guided caliph (24-35 AH/ 644-65 6 CE), was born in M a kkah in the year 577 C E, some forty-seven years before the Prophet's Hijrah to Madeenah. H e belonged to the great Banu Umayyah clan of the Quraysh tribe. H is father's name was 'Affaa n ibn Abee ai-Aass ibn U mayyah ai-Qurashee. Abu Amr was h is title. Of noble lineage, wealthy and extremely handsome, ' Uthmaan entered Islam at the invitation of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq, shortly after the Prophet's mission began in M a kkah . H e was o n e of t h e few people of Makkah w h o knew h ow t o read a n d write.

' Uthmaan � was a wealthy merchant, an accomplished man of the world and a remarka bly handsome man. H e married the Prophet's da ughter Ruqayya h �· H e took part in the two em igrations to Abyssinia ( Ethiopia), along with Ruqayyah . He later joined the Emigrants in M adeenah. H e could not ta ke part in the Battle of Badr because of the ill ness of his wife Ruqayya h . After the death of Ruqayyah, ' Uthmaan's a l l iance with Alla h's M essenger :i was renewed by his marriage to the

Prophet's other daughter Umm Kulthoom �)i; . U m m Kulthoom d ied while 'Uthmaan � was away from Madeenah, participating in the Tabook Exped ition. H e earned the title of Dhun-Noorayn (possessor of the two l ights) because he married two of the da ughters of the M essenger of Al lah � Ruqayyah �2€, a n d ' U m m Kulthoom � a t different times. Al lah's M essenger :i is reported to have said to 'Uthmaan that if he had a nother unwedded da ughter, he would have given her to him in marriage. ,

'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan The Prophet's Envoy to Quraysh at ai-Hudaybiyyah Al lah's M essenger ti had ha lted at the place cal led al-H u daybiyya h, just outside the Haram (the Sacred Precinct), with about 1 4 0 0 of his com panions. There he awaited the outcome of events when prevented from ma king the Lesser Pilgrimage or 'Umrah by the M a kkans. The Quraysh had stopped the pilgrims at a l-H udaybiyya h, a bout ten miles from M a kka h. Allah's M essenger ti sent ' Uthmaan, who had powerfu l rel atives among the Quraysh, to negotiate with the M akka ns. When he did not return at the expected time, a rumour spread that he had been killed. In that moment of peril, Allah's M essenger ti took the pledge of allegiance from his companions, which is known as the P ledge of Good Pleasure or Bay'at ar-Ridwaan. The Prophet ti himself

represented

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' Uthmaan by proxy in this oath. Sitting beneath an acacia tree that was green with its spring fol iage breaking into leaf, Allah's M essenger ti put out his left hand, as the hand of ' Uthmaan, and grasping it with his right hand, pledging the a l legiance. The rumour, h owever, turned out to be false, and there was great rejoicing when he safely returned to the camp. 'Uthmaan was greatly adm ired for his courage and wisdom d uring this mission.

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The Virtues of 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan Once, Allah's M essenger ti was sitting at a place where there was water, a n d he had his knees or one knee uncovered. When 'Uthmaan entered, he covered them. (al-Bukhaa ree) 'Uthmaan was the most modest of a l l companions, and so the Prophet � covered his knees out of consideration for him. Once Allah's M essenger � ascended Mount U hud, and with him there were Abu Bakr � ' U m a r � a n d 'Uthmaan � ' ' ' and the mounta in trembled. Allah's M essenger � said, 'Be steady, U h u d ! For upon you there a re but a Prophet, a man of truth, and two martyrs. (al-Bukhaaree) The m a n of truth here obviously denotes Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq � while the two martyrs were 'Umar � and 'Uthmaan �. The Prophet's pred iction later came true. When the early M usl ims em igrated to M a d eenah, there was near that town a spring ca lled Rooma h which belonged to a man of Banu Ghifaa r. Its water was far better than that of Madeenah, and the owner used to sell it at a heavy price. When the Prophet ti req uested him to give the spring as a gift to the M uslim commun ity, he refused. Thereupon 'Uthmaan bought it for 3500 d inars (gold coins) and made it a waqf (endowment) for the whole community. In addition to this spring, he dug by its side a well and had it faced with solid masonry.

The Prophet � said, 'Whoever digs the well of Roomah, his steps shall be in Paradise'; and 'Uthmaan dug it. ( ai-Bukhaaree) At the time of sending troops for the Campaign of Tabook, Allah's M essenger � said, 'Whoever equips the Army of Difficulty, his shall be Paradise.' 'Uthmaan equipped it. (ai-Bukhaaree). The Campaign of Difficulty (Jaysh al-'Usrah) was a name given to the Campaign of Tabook on account of the extremely difficult circumstances under which it took place. When 'Uthmaan donated three hundred camels with their equipment and one thousand gold dinars for the campaign, Allah's M essenger � said, ' N othing 'Uthmaan does after today will harm him.' 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan was one of the ten companions to whom the Prophet � gave the good news of Paradise in his lifetime. The other nine were: Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq � 'Umar ibn ai-Khattaab � ' ' 'Ali ibn Abee Taalib � Abu 'U baydah ibn ' ai-Jarraah � Sa'eed ibn Zayd � ' ' az-Zubayr ibn ai-'Awwaam � Talhah ibn ' / / / / /

'Ubaydullaah � Sa'd ibn Abee Waqqaas ' � and 'Abdur Rahmaan ibn 'Awf �. 'Uthmaan was always a very close companion to the Prophet �. He related 146 ahaadeeth from the Messenger of Allah �. 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan's Caliphate 'Uthmaan � was the third of the rightly-guided caliphs (ai-Khulafaa' ar-Raashidoon). H is caliphate came about as a result of the unanimous agreement of the companions. The actual process was as follows: 'Umar � had excluded his own sons from the succession to the caliphate, which he left to be decided by a consultative council (Shooraa) consisting of six members, namely Talhah, az-Zubayr, Sa'd ibn Abee Waqqas, 'Uthmaan, 'Ali, and 'Abdur Rahmaan ibn 'Awf. This Consultative Council unanimously agreed that 'Uthmaan should be the caliph. Then the rest of the people all pledged their allegiance. He was an honest and just leader (Imaam) until the day he was martyred. He accepted the caliphate after 'Umar's death in 23 AH.

When did ' Uthmaan � accept I slam? Why was ' Uthmaan � unable to participate in the Battle of Badr? Why was ' Uthmaan � ca l led Dhun-Nurayn? What charitable deed did ' Uthmaan � perform for the Spring of Roomah? H ow did 'Uthmaan � contribute towards the 'Army of Difficulty'?

'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan

During 'Uthmaan's ca liphate, Armenia, Caucasia, Khurasan, Kirman, Sijistan, Cypru s, and much of N orth Africa were added to the dominion of I slam. Everyday, more and more people embraced Islam. In the beginning, ' Uthmaan � contin ued the same policies and principles that were adopted by 'Umar. One specific achievement of the ru le of ' Uthmaan .;@k> was the establ ishment of a navy, which was a major development in I slamic history. It made M uslims stronger in defending their shores and hel ped facilitate the conquest of islands such as Crete and Cyprus. The first half of 'Uthmaan's ca liphate was peaceful. Afterwards, revolt began in I raq and I ran. Civil war arose and the u nity of the Prophet's time was shattered. Despite the troubl es of his caliphate, ' Uthmaan � was not responsible for them.

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I n the beginning, the policies adopted by 'Uthmaan � worked wel l . Then he started t o receive complaints against some of his governors and other officials in the distant regions of the I slamic territory. On the basis of these compla ints he changed the governors of some provinces, but this d id not satisfy many people in these regions. A n umber of people came to Madeenah from various a reas to com plain against their governors as wel l as other matters in their regions. 'Uthmaan � listened to them carefu lly and dealt with each matter. But these matters continued to worsen, with many people from different regions rousing rebels. A group of rebels came to 'Uthmaan's home to force him to resign. When he refused, the rebels and the plotters climbed over the walls of his house. They crowded in and struck the

(&§QJ 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan � caliph with their swords. 'Uthmaan was rea d ing the Qur'an when he was attacked. H is blood flowed on the sacred text. Thus attacked, his faithful wife N aa'ilah cast herself upon her wounded husband, and as she shielded him with her a rm, a sword-cut severed several of her fingers which fel l to the ground. The insurgents plunged their weapons into the caliph's body, and he fel l l ifeless to the ground. A scene of riot fol l owed. Women screamed. The house was gutted . Th us at the age of eighty-two, d ied 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan in the year 3 5 AH, after a reign of twelve yea rs. H is m urderers killed him out of enmity and wickedness.

'Uthmaan � Prepares the Official Authentic Copy of the Qur'an One of the most significant achievements of the caliph was the preparation of the officia l copy of the Qur'an and its distribution to various parts of the state. I t was d u ring the caliphate of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq � that

the Qur' a n was col l ected in one single volume. Once complete, the collected Qur'an was placed in the state a rchives under the care of Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr's contribution, we can summarize, was to collect the firsthand Qur'anic fragments then scattered about in Madeenah a n d a rrange for their tra nscription into a master volume. This coll ectio n was termed Suhuf (singular: Saheefah), l itera l ly sheets of parchment. Appointing 'Umar � as the next ca l iph on his deathbed, Abu Bakr entrusted h is successor with the Suhuf. Wounded fatally by Feroz Abu Lu'l u'ah, a Persian fi re worshipper, towards the end of 23 AH, 'Umar � refused to appoint a caliph, l eaving the decision to the people. Meantime, he entrusted the Suhuf to h is daughter H afsah �' the Prophet's widow and M other of the Believers. During the caliphate of ' Uthmaan � ' a report came from Azerbaijan that the M uslims had fallen into d isagreement concerning the recitation of the Qur' a n . These regional differences over pronunciations in the Qur'an had caused friction. H u d hayfa h ibn a i-Yamaan � came to ' Uthmaan � directly from the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia and said, '0 Caliph, take this com m u n ity in hand before they d iffer a bout the Book like the Christians and the J ews did.' (al-Bukhaaree) H ud hayfah's warn ing came in 2 5 AH, and that very year ' Uthmaan � resolved to end these disputes.

So 'Uthmaan � sent Hafsah � a message stating, 'Send us the Suhuf so that we may make perfect copies and then return the Suhuf back to you.' Hafsah � sent it to 'Uthmaan � who ' commanded Zayd ibn Thaabit � ' Abdullaah ibn az-Zubayr � Sa'eed ibn ' ai-Aas � and Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ai-Haarith � to make d uplicate copies. H e told the three Qurayshite men, 'Should you disagree with Zayd ibn Thaabit on any point concerning the Qur'an, write it in the dialect of the Quraysh, as the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue.' They did so, and when they had prepared several copies, 'Uthmaan returned the Suhuf to Hafsah �- (The H istory of the Qur'anic Text, M. M. ai-Azami, p. 8 8). After consulting the prominent companions, 'Uthmaan formed a council ' among whose members were Zayd ibn Thaabit � and Ubayy ibn Ka'b �Zayd ibn Thaabit � was one of the personal scribes of the M essenger of Allah � and he had col lected the Qur'an ' during the rule of Abu Bakr �- The members of the council compared the official copy of the Qur' a n prepared during the time of Abu Bakr with the recitation of those who had memorized the Qur'an. If there was any difference in the pronunciation of any words, they consulted the people of the H ijaz who were more familiar with the language and dialect of the Quraysh. Thus, a unified copy of the Qur'an was eventually prepared. This definitive copy, once

verified against the Suhuf, was read to the companions in 'Uthmaan's presence. With the final recitation over, he sent duplicate copies for distribution throughout the various provinces of the I slamic State.

The Number of Certified Copies Made H ow many copies did 'Uthmaan � distribute? According to some scholars, eight copies were made, and ' Uthmaan retained one for himself. The cities of Koofah, Basra, Damascus, Yemen, Bahrain, Makkah and M adeenah each received a copy. With the task complete, the ink on the final copy dry, 'Uthmaan commanded that all fragments of the Qur'an circulating in people's hands be burnt. People were pleased with 'Uthmaan 's decision. No one voiced any objections. 'Ali ibn Abee Taalib says, ' By Allah, he did what he did with these fragments in the presence of us a l l and none of us objected.' (The History of the Qur'anic Text, M . M . Aza m i, p. 9 4 ) N o copy was sent without a qaari or reciter. 'Uthmaan's main purpose was to eliminate all occasions for disputes in recitation. The existence of a canonized Qur'a n ic text throughout the world for over fourteen centuries, between a l l countries and a l l divergent M uslim sects, is proof enough of 'Uthmaan's matchless success in gathering a l l M uslims upon a single text.

tm} 1Uthmaan ibn 1Affaan � The lmaam's Manuscript This is the name used for the copy of the Qur'an, which 'Uthmaan � had kept for h imself, and which he was reciting when he was kil l ed. There were traces of blood on it. According to some scholars, this copy is now kept in I stan bul, Turkey. M uhammad H amidullah Dr. (1 9 0 8-2002) says, 'The manuscript is preserved in Topkapi M useum of l stabul. I t is attributed to 'Uthmaan. I have seen it myself. The page bearing the verse: ' But Al lah will suffice you . . . ' (Soorat al-Baqarah 2 :1 37) has red spots on it. It is said that it is the blood of 'Uthmaan who was martyred while he was rea d ing the Qur' a n . The Emergence of Islam, Ba hawalpur Lectures, p. 26; published I n stitute, Research I slamic by I nternational Islam ic U niversity, I slamabad) According to Dr. M uhammad H amidullah, who spent m ost of h is life in Paris, the official copy of the Qur' a n which was sent t o Damascus by ' Uthmaan � is now preserved in Tashkent, Uzbekistan . H ow did it get there? Dr. H amidullah says, 'When Tamelane (Tamoor the lame) conq uered Damascus, the most precious treasure he came by in the loot was this copy of the H oly Qur' a n . H e brought it to Samarkhand, his own capita l, and preserved it there. Samarkhand is now in Uzbekista n . The copy remained there until the Russians conquered the city in the n ineteenth century. The famous

copy of the Qur'an was shifted by the Russian commander-in-chief to St. Petersburg, present-day Len ingrad. ' R ussian h istorians suggest that it was sold by the rul er of Samarkhand to the Russian commander. The idea is to establish that the Russians had not stolen but had bought the copy. In a ny case, it remained in St. Petersburg until the end of the First World War. When the Communists came to power, many who did n ot want to l ive under the new regime em igrated to different countries. One of them was Ali Akbar Topchi Bashi who went to Paris. I had an opportun ity to meet him.' 'Al i Akbar Topchi Bashi was a senior officer of the a rmy when the Tsar was killed. He sent a commando force to take over the royal palace in St. Petersburg and seek out the rare copy of the Qur' a n from the roya l libra ry. The copy was found and then sent to Tashkent in a railway engine compartment.' Dr. Hamidullah continues, 'When the Communists took over Tashkent, they did not transfer the copy in question to Len ingrad, with the result that it is sti l l there in Tashkent. During t h e days of the Tsars, fifty copies, based on the photo of the manuscript, were printed. I know a bout a few of them. One is in America; a nother in England. I saw a copy in Kab u l . Another copy is in Cairo. I have its microfilm.' (The Emergence of Islam, pp. 25-26)

'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan

�

�

Review A. Fill in the blanks. 1.

'Uthmaan � was the

rightly-guided

caliph. 2.

The two Prophet's da ughters whom 'Uthmaan � ma rried were

3·

-------

and

A major contribution development of

-------

of

'Uthmaan

the

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ _

4· The Suhuf were kept safely with 5·

� was

-------

Each copy of the Qur'an was sent along with a

B. Give Reasons

1.

The Prophet � substituted his bl essed hand for 'Uthmaan's hand.

2 . The Prophet � covered his knees when 'Uthmaan � entered. 3·

Fragments o f the Qur'an were burned.

H ow did ' Uthmaan � rise to the position of caliph? What problem cropped u p over pronunciations in the Qur'an? How did 'Uthmaan � deal with the differences in pronunciations in the Qur'an? / What is the l ma a m 's m a n uscript?

Al i ibn Abee Taalib � was a cousin and son-in-law of the M essenger of Allah � and the fourth of the Rightly-guided Caliphs. H is father Abu ' Taa l i b was the son of Abd-al-M uttalib ibn H aashim. His mother was called Fatimah bint Asad ibn H ashim. Ali � received the kunyah (honorary title) of Abu Turaa b (father of dust, or the one covered with d ust) from the Prophet � whose da ughter Faatimah �4; he married. Once, Al i and Faatimah had quarrelled. So, Ali � intended to spend the night in the mosque. The Prophet � asked Faatimah, 'Where is Ali?' She answered, ' I n the mosque.' So the Prophet � went to him and saw that his 'ridaa' had slipped off his back which was now covered with dust. The Prophet � wiped the dust off his back, saying twice, 'Get up, father of dust!' (ai-Bukaa hree) N o kunyah was dearer to Ali than this one.

Ali � embraced Islam shortly after Khadeejah �4J did. He was at that time a young boy of ten . Al i was born in M a kkah, twenty-three years before the Hijrah and was raised from the age of five by the Prophet �. Ali � was one of the companions ten (Ashra a/-Moobashshira) to whom Paradise was expressly prom ised d uring their l ifetime by the Prophet �. He was also one of the six councill ors of 'Umar �. When Al lah's M essenger � decided to emigrate to M adeenah, his departure was facil itated by Ali � who made people bel ieve that he was still in the house he had occupied. H e also stayed behind for a few days in order to return the trusts which people in M a kka h had kept with the Prophet �.

Ali � became renowned as a warrior d u ring I slam's struggle for survival . H e participated i n the Battles of Badr, U hud, the Trench (a/ Khandaq), Khaybar and in nea rly a l l the Prophet's expeditions except that of Ta book, d uring which the Prophet �commanded him to remain in charge of M adeenah and to look after the Prophet's family, while he himself was proceeding on this campaign. When Ali expressed his disappointment, the Prophet � said to him, 'Are you not satisfied with being to me what Haaroon was to M oosaa?' (ai-Bukhaaree) The Prophet � referred to the example of M oosaa �� who had left his brother Haaroon in charge of the community when he himself ascended Mt. Sinai.

Ali ibn Abee Taalib � Ali � himself conducted an expedition to Fadak against the Jewish tribe of Sa'd, during the Conquest of Khaybar. H e received sixteen wounds a t U h u d a n d o n the day when Khaybar was stormed, he carried the banner which was given to him by the Prophet �. AI-Bukhaaree records: Al lah's M essenger � said, 'Tomorrow I shall give the standard to a man through whose hands Allah will gra nt us victory.' This is a n incident of the Campaign of Khaybar, which took place in the year 7 A H .

AI-B u khaaree contin ues, 'The people spent the night wondering to which of them it wou ld be given. When the morn ing came, they hastened to the M essenger of Allah � every one of them ' hoping that it would be given to him. Then the Prophet � said, "Where is Al i ibn Abee Taa lib?" They repl ied, " M essenger of Al l ah, he is suffering

�

from an infection in his eyes." (Al i suffered from ophthal mia which forced h im to remain in the rea r of the a rmy. ) The Prophet � said, "Then send for him and bring him to me." When he came, the Prophet � blew into h is eyes and prayed for him a n d he was cured as if he had never been ill. Then the Prophet � gave him the standard. And Ali � said, " I sha l l fight them until they are like us, M essenger of Allah." The Prophet � then said, "Advance warily until you reach their quarters. I nvite them to Islam and inform them what d uties which a re incumbent upon them towards Al lah. By Al l a h, if Al lah guides through you one single man, this will be better for you than to possess the most precious of camels." The expression used in ai-Bukhaa ree's a bove-mentioned hadeeth is humr an-na'am, which literally means red ca mels. The Ara bs regard the camels of this colour as the best; hen ce, humr an-na'am signifies the high-bred, or excellent of camels a n d is proverbially appl ied to anything highly prized, precious, va luable or excel lent. Thus the Prophet � wished to im press upon Ali, and every M uslim for that matter, that the foremost d uty of a M uslim is to invite non-M usl ims to Islam. Once Al lah's M essenger � said to Ali � 'You are of me and I am of you.' And ' 'Umar � said, 'The M essenger of Al l a h � remained pleased with him until his death.' ( ai-Bukhaaree )

§') Ali ibn A bee Taa lib � Ali � was married to Faatimah �2t, ' the daughter of the Prophet �. Faatimah tit2t had no one in the house to help her. So, she said to Ali, ' I have ground corn until my hands are bl istered, and I have d rawn water until I have pains in my chest.' Al i � suggested, 'Go to Al lah's M essenger � and ask him for a servant.' She very rel ucta ntly went to the Prophet �. She did not find him at home but she found 'Aa'ishah �Jv and told her of her desire. When the Prophet ·� retu rned, 'Aa'ishah tit2t informed him of Faatima h's visit. Faatimah � had returned home with some disappointment, but that night, when she and Al i had gone to bed, they heard the voice of the Prophet ;i seeking permission to enter. Giving him words of welcome, they both rose to their feet, but he said, ' Remain as you are,' and he sat down beside them. The Prophet � said, 'Shall I tell you of something that is better than what you asked of me? When you lie down to sleep, say 'AIIaahu Akbar (Allah is Supremely Great)' thirty-four times, 'Subhaanal/aah (Glory be to Allah) thirty-three times; and 'A/ Hamduli/Jaah (All than ks belong to Al lah) thirty-three times .' Ali � used to say in after years, ' I have never once failed t o say them since the M essenger of Al lah � taught them to us.' (ai-Bukhaaree) It was Al i � who advised 'Umar � to adopt the date of the Hijrah, or the emigration of the Prophet � as the ' starting-point of the I slamic calendar.

Ali's Caliphate Al i � was entrusted with the task of making representations to 'Uthmaan .:t-0 on account of the complaints which came from the provinces. During the siege of ' Uthmaan's house, he supported him in every possible way. After the martyrdom of 'Uthmaan � Ali ' � modestly refused to assume power, b ut he accepted it later; and on Friday 25th Dhu/ Hijjah in the year 3 5 H (656 CE) a l l egiance was paid to him in the Prophet's M osque in M adeena h . Al i t h u s became c a l i p h during a time of u n rest and mounting difficu lties. U pon 'Uthmaan's assassination, the city was horror-struck. The Prophet's companions had hardly expected the tragic end. For several days anarchy reigned in Madeenah. The rebels and conspirators who had come from outside had mastery over the city. N o bed o f roses was laid for Al i �. Whether at home or a broad, rough and anxious tasks lay before him. He was pressed to punish the men who had stained their hands with the blood of 'Uthmaan. Some people were so agitated at the kil l ing of the aged and pious caliph that they demanded that the new caliph punish the killers immediately. Others wanted Al i to a ct more cautiously. They wanted him to address the problem of d iscontent fi rst and then proceed to punish the kill ers of ' Uthmaan �. Ali had to decide which problem to address fi rst. He wanted to p unish the kil lers for

Ali ibn Abee Taalib � killing the caliph, but he a lso wanted to strengthen his own position before taking such a n a ction that was likely to weaken the ca l iphate. H owever, before Al i � cou ld decide which course of a ction to fol l ow, the situation worsened. He immediately had to face a rebellion led by Talhah � and az-Zubayr � in which 'Aa'ishah �)€,, ' Mother of the Believers, also took part. I n the year 36 AH, Al i marched against Basrah, where 'Aa ' ishah, Ta lhah but az-Zubayr refused to acknowledge h im and defeated them in the Battle of the Camel, which took place outside Basrah, in the north of I raq. Many of the supporters of 'Aa'ishah �)€, were killed and she herself was captured. But in accordance with her l ofty position, 'Aa'ishah � was shown proper respect and was escorted to her home in / / / /

/ / / /

@)

M adeenah. 'Aa'ishah � later felt a great remorse for waging the war. She repented to Al lah a n d asked H is forgiveness. I n this battle, she rode in a l itter on the back of a camel, and that is why the battle between her and Ali came to be known as the Battle of the Camel. In the 36th year of the Hijrah, seven months after the death of ' Uthmaan, Al i � entered Koofah . The first four months had been spent in M adeenah; the other three in the Campaign of the Camel and a brief stay in Basrah. I t was now to be the seat of Ali's government. Then Mu'aawiya h � the then Governor of ' Damascus and relative of ' Uthmaan, rose aga inst the Caliphate of Ali � ' which resulted in the Battle of Siffeen. When Ali was o n the point of winning, he of accepted the proposal

What was the relationship between Ali � and the Prophet �? H ow did Ali � get the title of ' Father of Dust (Abu Turaab )'? Why didn't Ali � take part in the Battle of Tabook although he participated in the other battles? Why did the Prophet � give the standard to Ali � d u ring the Exped ition of a/-Khandaq even though he suffered from ophthalmia? Explain the term humr an-na'am. Why did the Prophet � use this expression? What did the Pro phet � s uggest was better than h iring a servant? What were the circumstances under which Al i � became ca l iph? Why was the Battle of the Camel fought?

� Ali ibn Abee Taalib � M u'aawiyah to negotiate a settlement. This was because Al i wished to avoid further bloodshed. I n a ny case, Ali � could not concl ude the struggl e decisively. N evertheless, Ali � refused to surrender his a uthority and establ ished himself at Koofah in I raq.

Ali's Assassination I n the year 40 AH/661 CE, as Al i � was preparing to lead the morning prayer at the mosque of Koofah, he was assassinated by I bn M uljim, who carried out the evil deed at the demand of a woman who had made Ali's assassination a condition of marriage. I b n M u ljim, accompanied by two accomplices, waited for the caliph in a narrow passage and struck him on the forehead with a poisoned sword that penetrated to the brain. It was on Friday 1 7 Ramadhaan 40 AH that I b n M u ljim was seized. One of h is accomplices was cut to pieces, but the other fled in the tumu lt. Ali � was carried home with strength enough to q uestion the assassin who was brought

before him. I bn M uljim declared boldly that the deed had been forty days in deliberation . Al i � commanded his son ai-Hasan to keep the assassin in close custody. He said to him, ' If I die, his life is lost; but see that you do not m utilate him, for the M essenger of Al lah ti has forbidden such an act.' During the day, one of the daughters of Ali � U m m Kulthoom, went into the ' assassin's cell and cursed him, adding, 'My father shall yet live.' The fa natic answered, ' Listen, I bought that sword for a thousa nd pieces, and it cost me a thousand more to poison it. N o one escapes its wound.' The wound was indeed mortal. When the caliph was asked whether it was his will if he d ied that his son should s ucceed to the ca l iphate, he a nswered, 'I do n ot commit it, neither do I forbid it. See you to it.' Then he called ai-H asan and ai-Husayn to his bedside and cou nsel led them to be steadfast in piety and kind ness. After that he contin ued to repeat the N a me of the Lord until he breathed his last. Al i � died three days after the attack. When the fu nera l prayer was performed for Ali � a i- H asan ' summoned the assassin before him. U nda u nted, Ibn M u ljim said, ' I made a covenant with the Lord before the Sacred H ouse at M a kkah that I would kill both Ali and Mu'aawiyah. N ow if you will, I sha ll go forth and kil l the other or perish in the attem pt.' After saying th is, he was put to death.

Ali ibn Abee Taalib � Ali � died at sixty-three years of age. H is troubled and strife-torn reign lasted for only four yea rs and nine months. I n his youth, he was one of the most d istinguished heroes in the battles of I slam. For as long as she was a l ive, the Prophet's daughter, Faatimah �' remained Ali's only wife, by whom he had three sons (one of these, M uhsin who d ied in infancy), a n d two daughters. After she d ied, h e married several other women, by whom he had eleven sons and fifteen da ughters.

�

A Word of Caution concerning the Battles of the Camel and Siffeen As for the battles Al i fought against Talhah �k> , az-Zubayr � 'Aa'ishah �2v a n d M u'aawiyah ' � we should adopt an attitude of strict ' neutra l ity towards these incidents, a n d indeed towa rds all the confl icts, contentions and controversies that fla red up among them, because Al l a h, M ost H igh, will remove all this from their midst on the Day of Resurrection. As H e has said, 'And We shall strip away whatever rancour may be in their breasts. As brothers they shall be, upon couches set face to face. (1 5 : 4 7 )

Virtues of Ali � It was Ali � who fi rst laid down the rules of formal Arabic grammar, nota bly describing l anguage as made u p of nou ns, verbs and particles. Ali is reported to have transmitted 5 86 ahaadeeth, twenty of which were accepted u n an imously by ai-Bukhaa ree alone and fifteen by M uslim. In Madeenah, he had a uthority. H e was consulted upon d ifficult q uestion s . He was very pious. He often burdened his stomach with a heavy stone in order to diminish the pangs of hunger, and he gave away a l l he had in alms. N ot only was Al i � a haafidh of the Qur'an, but he could describe the exact occasion when any given aayah was revealed to the M essenger of Al l a h ?t. It was Al i � who d rafted the famous Treaty of a l-H udaybiyyah between the M uslims and the pagan Quraysh. Ali � was fair even with non-M uslims, the poor and the rich, officials and s ubordinates. Once he l ost his a rmour and after some time he saw it with a J ew. He filed a suit against him in the court of the famous judge al-Qaadee S h u rayh. The judge asked him to prod uce a witness, but he could not do so. The armour was returned to the J ew who was so impressed that he embraced Islam.

[it) Ali ibn Abee Taalib � Review A. Fill in the blanks.

1.

Al i 4t-i> em braced I slam soon after

2.

When

Ali

�

______

accepted

/

. ,/

I slam,

he

was

merely

years old

3 · Al i's father's name was 4.

-------

------

It was Ali � who drafted the famous Treaty of

Who assassinated Ali � and why? / M e ntion some of Al i's virtues towards Islam. / What does haafidh mean?

I Section 11 lmaam Abu H aneefah

lmaam Abu Haneefah (80-1 50 AH/699-767 CE) He was Abu H a n eefa h a n- N u'maan ibn Thaa bit ibn Zawtee al-Faarisee, the Persian. H is name was a n-N u'maan. Abu H aneefa h was his title. It was not his kunyah (honorary titl e). H e had no son named H a neefa h. H is title was due to his being Haneef. The word Haneef literally means 'one who turns away' namely, from idol-worship, or a worshipper of One God - Allah. The designation Haneef is fa mil iar to M us l ims owing to its association with the name of Prophet l braaheem �\ . It is to Abu Haneefah that those who fol low the H a nafee school attribute their teach ings. Abu H a neefah was one of the great jurists of Islam and one of the Sunni mujtahidoon. The term mujtahid (plura l : m ujtahidoon) signifies a qualified person who exercises ijtihaad. ljtihaad means exertion of effort by a qualified scholar to a rrive at the Islamic view on a certa in issue through the appl ication of the knowledge of the Qur'an, the Sunnah of the Prophet � and other proofs.

� The Four lmaams H e was born in Koofa h, I raq, in the year 8o AH a n d died in Baghdad in the year 1 5 0 AH. H is father's name was Thaa bit. Abu H a neefa h grew up in Koofa h and was educated th ere as a student a n d teacher. H is family was wealthy a n d l ived by trading silk in Koofa h . H e devoted a l l his l ife t o fiqh ( I slamic jurispruden ce) and gathered many

scholars

a round

him.

He

memorized the Qur'an a n d wou l d recite

He

was

a l so

keen

a bout

his

it very frequently. Abu Haneefa h was

appearance. H e was very concern ed

trustworthy in a l l he did. H e was

about his clothes and chose the best so

extremely

Al l a h

that his cloa k was worth thirty dinars

protected him from greed a n d avarice.

(gol d coins). H e wore a lot of fragra nce.

He was very devout and pious. H e

H e persistently refused to a ccept the

wors h ipped a l ot a n d fasted a n d prayed

office of qaadhee (judge) which the

at n ight.

U mayyad governor in Koofa h a n d l ater

He

generous

and

was very d istressed

a bout

the Caliph a i-Mansoor wanted him to

a nything wh ich was tainted by the

a ccept. By his refusal, he is said to have

possibil ity of wrong action.

incurred

If he

corpora l

p u nishment

and

thought that there was any wrong

imprisonment and thus d ied in prison at

action involved in a tra n saction, he

the age of seventy.

would give it as charity to the poor a n d

lmaam Abu H a n e efah was one of

the needy. I t is reported that one d ay he

the leading scholars of fiqh ( I slamic

sent

H afs ibn Abd ur­

jurisprudence). lmaam M a a l ik described

Rahmaan with some goods a n d told him

him as a 'true scholar of fiqh'. I bn

that there was a fa u lt in one garment

a i-M u baarak described him as the 'core

and that he had to make the fa ult clear

of knowledge'. By this he referred to

when he sold it. H afs sold the goods and

Abu H a neefa h's honest and tireless

forgot to point out the flaw, a n d he did

pursuit of the truth, never turning away

not know who had bought it. When Abu

from it. There is no d oubt that Abu

H a neefa h lea rnt of it, he gave away the

H a neefa h wa s a scholar of the highest

entire va l u e of the garments in charity.

ca l ibre.

his

partner

The Four lmaams Abu H a neefah did not write a ny book, but some leaflets a re said to have been written by him. I t is his students who recorded h is views. Abu Yoosuf, his best-known student, wrote several books in which he recorded Abu H a neefa h's views and rul ings. H owever, his other student M uhammad ibn ai-Hasan ash-Shaybaanee was the main scholar who col l ected, related and published Abu H aneefa h's fiqh in six books, representing the First Systematic Col l ection of a particu lar method of fiqh.

/ / / / / /

The

H anafee

School

of

Jurisprudence spread far and wide, particularly because of the very large n umber of scholars who practised it in successive generations. It is the main school of thought in Central Asian countries, Pakistan, Afghan istan, I n d ia, Bangladesh and Turkey. I t is a l so widely followed in I raq, Syria, J orda n and Palestine. May Al l a h reward /maam Abu H an eefah abundantly and shower H is mercy u pon him.

�

Why was Abu H aneefa h ca l l ed as such? Who is a m ujtahid? M e ntion some of the chara cter traits of Abu H a neefa h . Why was Abu H a neefah imprisoned? Why was Abu H a neefah referred to as 'the core of knowledge'? Who was M uhammad ibn a i-H asan? What was his achievement?

� The Four lmaams I Section 21 lmaam Maalik

lmaam Maalik (93-179 AH/ 712-79 5 CE ) H is ful l name was Maalik ibn Anas ibn Maalik ibn Abee Aamir al-Asbahee al-Yamenee. H is mother was ai-Aa liyyah bint Shaikh al-Azd iyya h. His mother and father were both Yemeni Ara bs. He was born in Madeenah in 93 AH, (71 2 C E ) . H is grandfather, who bore the same name, Maal i k, arrived in M adeenah to complain to the Caliph against a govern or but decided to settle in M a d eenah, where he met a n umber of the Prophet's Companions and learnt from those of them who were eminent for their schola rly learning, such as 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab, 'Uthmaan ibn Affaan, 'Aa'ishah, Talhah and many others. lmaam Maalik should, however, not be confused with the em inent companion Anas ibn Maalik a l-Ansaaree a i-Khazrajee.

lmaam Maalik memorized the Gracious Qur'an at an early age. He then stud ied hadeeth and fiqh under a n um ber of wel l-known teachers of the highest calibre. In Madeenah, Maalik met a large n umber of scholars from all over the world, and he always d iscussed

with them their views and lea rnt how they ru led on d ifferent issues. In addition to being a great j urist, he was also a great scholar of hadeeth. H e was known a s the Scholar of Madeenah. H e was ren owned for h is sincerity, faith, piety and heedful ness of Al lah (taqwaa) .

The Four lmaams H is generosity was legendary as was his l ove for the Prophet :i whom he held in such awe and respect that he would not mount his horse within the borders of Madeenah out of reverence for the ground that enclosed the Prophet's body. H is piety was such that he was never too proud to say that he did not know when asked a bout matters he was n ot sure of. H e would not relate a hadeeth without first having ablution. H e exercised extreme caution in answering questions. Once someone put to him a q uestion saying, 1 1 have been sent to you with this question from my hometown in Morocco, undertaking a journey of severa l months to reach here.' Imaam Maalik l istened to the problem and reflected on it before saying to the man, 1Tell the person who sent you that I have no knowledge of this matter.' Imaam Maalik had a s uperb memory and clear insight. Another significant quality of Imaam Maalik was his tireless pursu it of knowledge. He was extremely sincere in all that he pursued. H is pursuit of knowledge had no objective other than seeking Al lah's Pleasure. Imaam Maalik placed the Qur'an at the top source of evidence in all questions and ru lings. H e upheld the Qur'anic text which admits only one interpretation. He a lso upheld any ru ling that was ded uced from the Qur' a n . The second source is the Sunnah, which he considered binding. H e considered a

�

customary practice prevailing in Madeenah as evidence for rulings when such a practice could not have come about except through Allah's M essenger �. Another source of eviden ce, accord ing to Imaam Maalik, was a ru ling by the Prophet's compa nions. He eq uated this with the hadeeth . H e used to argue that a compan ion of the Prophet :i would not give a ru ling on a question concerning rel igion u nless he had lea rnt it from Allah's M essenger � h imself.

It is u niversa lly agreed that imaam Maalik was an eminent scholar of hadeeth. The best known work of Imaam Maalik is ai-M uwatta' (The Path made smooth). Imaam Maalik composed a/-M uwatta' over a period of forty years to represent the wel l-trodden path of the people of Madeenah. Its name also means that it is the book that is 1many times agreed upon' - about whose contents the people of Madeenah were unanimously agreed - and that is 1made easy'.

� The Four lmaams

The Four lmaams

�

Review A. Answer the following q u estions.

-�-----

1.

H ow d id /maam Maalik come t o b e born i n M adeenah even though h is parents were from Yemen?

2. What did /maam Maalik use as sources of evidence in his ijtihaad? 3 · What a re some of lmaam Maal ik's qualities? 4 . Which b o o k did /maam Maalik compile? What d o e s its name mean? s.

Was /maam M a a l ik afraid of admitting it when he did not know the answer to a q uestion?

B. Fil l in the blanks.

1.

/maam

Maalik

2.

It is universally agreed that /maam Maalik was an eminent scholar of

3·

The

was

known

as

a

scholar

of

------

School of J u risprudence is

attributed to lmaam M aal ik.

� The Four lmaams I Section 31 lmaam ash-Shaafi1ee

lmaam ash-Shaafi1ee (1 50-204 AHI 767-82o CE) Muhammad ibn ldrees ash-Shaafi1ee was born in Gaza, Palestine, in the year 1 50 AH, corresponding to 767 CE. Ash-Shaafi1ee belonged to the tribe of Quraysh . He was a H aashimee and distantly related to the Prophet �. H is mother belonged to the tribe of Azd . He lost his father early and was brought up by his mother in poor circumstances in Makkah. H e spent much of his time among the Bedouins and acquired a thorough knowledge of the old Arab poetry. He studied hadeeth and fiqh in Makkah, memorized the Qur'an at the age of seven and at ten he knew the whole of the al-Muwatta' by heart. When he was a bout twenty, he went to Madeenah to gain knowledge from lmaam Maalik ibn Anas and remained there until the latter's death in 179 A H I 795 C E. H e then went to fill a n office in Yemen. In 1 94 AH I 809 CE, he went to Baghdad and taught there. He then went to Egypt in 1 98 AH I 81 4 CE. H e soon went t o M a kka h, return ing finally

to Egypt in 200 AH l 81 5 CE. H e died in 204 AH I 820 CE. Ash-Shaafi1ee is buried in Cairo. lmaam ash-Shaafi1ee was one of the most brilliant and original scholars that mankind has ever known. H e was the first person to write a treatise on the principles of fiqh. The book was called ar-Risaa/ah (The Treatise). Ar-Risaa/ah was

The Four lmaams the fi rst work to investigate the theoretical a n d practical bases of Islamic jurisprudence. He also composed a voluminous work on fiqh, which is called ai-Umm (The Mother, or the Basis). It consists of seven volumes. Ar-Risaa/ah has been translated into Engl ish. Ash-Shaafi'ee was one of the teachers of lmaam Ahmad ibn H anbal. lmaam M u hammad ibn ai-Hasan ash-Shaybaanee said of h im, 'If scholars of hadeeth speak, it is the language of ash-Shaafi'ee.' lmaam Ahmad said, ' N o one touches a n i n kwel l o r pen with h is hand except that he owes a debt to ash-Shaafi'ee.' Ash-S haafi'ee was immensely generous. When he brought ten thousand dinars from Yemen once, he pitched a tent outside M a kka h a n d gave it a l l away to passers by before the day ended. He was moderate in dress. He once said, ' Knowl edge is not what is memorized, but only what is beneficial . ' H e divided h i s n ight into three parts. H e would write in t h e first one, pray in the second one a n d sl eep in the th ird one. When a rem ark was once made to him a bout his using a wa l king stick, he said, ' I d o it to remind myself that I am o n a journ ey out of this l ife. ' H e was a man of intense piety, who could truthfu lly say of h imself, 'I have n ever told a l ie.' H is students were in such awe of him that they could not take a drink of water when he was looking on.

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.

, ..... .,_ .

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By the time ash-Shaafi'ee reached Cairo, h is fame had spread far and wide. Scholars from all parts of the M uslim world travelled to hear him. His student and scribe Rabee' ibn Sulaymaan said, ' I have seen seven hundred riding camels tethered at ash-Shaafi'ee's door, belonging to those who came to hear him explain his writings.' H e studied and taught Islamic Law in Cairo until his death at fifty-th ree years in 20 4 AH I 820 CE. One of his students said, 'When ash-Shaafi'ee bega n the tafseer of the Qur'an, it was as if he were witnessing the revelation.' Ash-Shaafi'ee spent a great deal of time defining the position of the Sunnah of the Prophet �. According to him, the Sunnah of the Prophet � explains what is unidentified in the Qur' a n and provides details and timings of the commands of the Qur' a n .

({Vo) The Four lmaams

The Four lmaams

@)

Review A. Answer the following q uestions. 1. 2. 3· 4. 5· 6.

Which variety of knowledge did /maam ash-Shaafi'ee gather in his early age? What is ar-Risaa/ah? Why was it so special? H ow can you say that /maam ash-Shaafi'ee was very generous? Why did /maam ash-Shaafi'ee carry a round a wal king stick? H ow can you say that /maam ash-Shaafi'ee became very famous during his lifetime? What part of knowledge did /maam ash-Shaafi'ee lay great stress on?

B.

Fil l in the blanks.

1.

/maam

2.

Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee composed a voluminous work on

ash-Shaafi'ee

fiqh called 3·

belonged

to

the

tribe

of

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

'When /maam ash-Shaafi'ee began explaining his tafseer, it were as if he were witnessing

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

@') The Four lmaams I Section 41 lmaam Ahmad ibn H anbal

lmaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (1 64-241 AH/ 780-855 CE) Ahmad ibn M u hammad ibn H anbal, known by the name of I bn H an bal, was born in Baghdad in Rabee' ai-Awwal, in the year 1 64AH, corresponding to 780 CE. lmaam Ahmad was a Shaybaanee Ara b on both his mother and father's side. Shaybaan was a clan of an Arab tribe known for its ach ievements and devotion. AI-Muthannaa ibn a i-Haarith who led the M uslim armies aga inst Persia in the time of Abu Bakr � was also from Shaybaa n . I b n H an bal's father's name was M uhammad ibn H anbal. Ahmad's father died when he was still a child. Ahmad's mother brought him up in his father's fa mily. H is father did not leave him totally bereft; his parents had some property in Baghdad to l ive in and an estate with a small income which was more or less sufficient to cover their necessities. Imaam Ahmad grew up in Baghdad and received his early ed ucation there. He used to mix with people of different backgrounds: reciters of the Qur'an, scholars of hadeeth, philosophers and linguists, among others. Ahmad studied the Arabic language, the Qur'an, hadeeth,

life of the Prophet � and fiqh ( I slamic jurisprudence). He memorized the Qur'an at an early age and from his very early childhood Ahmad showed himself to be trustworthy and God-fearing. These qualities remained with him throughout his life.

The Four lmaams For sixteen years, /maam Ahmad travelled in pursuit of the knowledge of hadeeth: to Koofa h, Basra h, Makkah, Madeenah, Yemen, Damascus, Morocco, Algeria, Persia and Khurasan,1 m e m o r i z i n g Khurasan is a modern term for a historical ahaadeeth of the geogra phic region spanning Prophet � over north-eastern and east of Iran, ' Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, thirty thousand of Tajikistan and western and which he recorded in northern Afgh a n ista n. his monumenta l work called a/-M usnad. lmaam Ahmad was among the most outstan d ing students of lmaam ash-Shaafi'ee who said upon leaving Baghdad for Egypt, ' I n departing from Baghdad, I have left no one in it more G od-fearing, learned in Sacred Law, pious and knowledgeable than I bn H anbal.' /maam Ahmad's students included ai-Bukhaaree, M uslim a n d Abu Daawood. Beyond being a scholar of hadeeth, the H an balee School of Fiqh is attributed to him. lmaam Ahmad was a man of many qualities, one of which was purity of heart. H e never touched anything belonging to someone else, nor did he ever succumb to a desire. In bel ief and thought, he would not take any course other than that of the Prophet � his ' com panions and those who followed them in righteousness. H is purity of heart affected his whole l ife. H e tried his best to ensure that he would not touch any money, property or indeed anything that came from any source other than that what he knew to be absol utely lawful . 1-

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He was poor. He lived mostly on the rent he received for property he owned, but even that rent was too little to give him a comfortable life. When a teacher like the Yemeni scholar of hadeeth Abdur­ Razzaaq tried to help him with money as a gift, he gently apologized, pointing out that he preferred to live on his own earnings. Therefore, when he needed extra income, he worked, doing whatever job he found. He did not hesitate to copy a book for someone who needed it in return for some money. lmaam Ahmad also maintained a high standard of honesty in everything he did. Thus, all his learning and scholarship was for the sake of Allah. He desired no recognition or position. Even when he was young, he would not carry his writing material in a visible way; he would conceal what he had so that people would not get a chance to say that he was going to study, or that he was a scholar. During his lifetime, lmaam Ahmad faced a great trial from the then caliph who was trying to force scholars to say that the Qur'an was created. /maam Ahmad refused, and for that reason he was imprisoned and tortured for twenty-eight months. lmaam Ahmad, however, bore up all that u nfl inchingly and refused to abandon the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wai-Jamaa'ah that the Qur'an is the Uncreated Word of Al lah. He was kept in a cell and whipped by a team of was wrist his executioners;

(liMJ The Four lmaams broken and he lost consciousness. N onetheless, he kept his conscience whole and emerged from the test with the greatest credit.

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(

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,

,

I b n H a nbal showed an unmatched generosity towards his enemies and persecutors. H e showed no ill-wil l towards a n y o n e of them. After t h e trial, /maam Ahmad lived for a bout eight years. He devoted most of this period to teaching, the rest he spent in prayer and remembrance of Al lah. H e died in Baghdad on the twelfth of Rabee' ai-Awwal in the year 241 AH, corresponding to 8 5 5 CE, at the age of seventy-seven. H is fu neral took place on Friday. Astonishing scenes of sorrow a n d mourn ing fol l owed: n ot o n l y t h e great city of Baghdad, but even some of the / / / / / /

remotest corners of the M uslim World, fell into grief and sorrow. H is funeral was attended by a vast crowd which consisted between 300,000 and 6oo,ooo people. Honesty and justice were the most admired elements of his character. lmaam Ahmad is well-known for his al-M usnad collection which contains over 30,000 ahaadeeth . H is intention was not only to collect a uthentic ahaadeeth in this work but a l so to preserve in writing as many ahaadeeth he thought justified for the benefit of the M uslim nation a n d its scholars as possible. /maam Ahmad wrote severa l other books, b u t t h e most important of them all is without doubt a/-M usnad (meaning, supported hadeeth or hadeeth supported by a chain of transmitters). A number of scholars referred to him as the lmaam of the Sunnah because of his standing upon the truth about the Qur'an being the Word of Allah and because, as they say, if the hadeeth is not in h is a/-Musnad, it is not a hadeeth.

When did I b n H an bal's father pass away? Did he leave his family members to fend for themselves? What ed ucation did lmaam Ahmad receive in his early age? H ow did lmaam Ahmad rea ct to being given money as a gift? H ow do you know that lmaam Ahmad acquired knowledge only for the sake of Allah? Why was lmaam Ahmad ibn H a nbal im prisoned? Write briefly on the most popular book authored by lmaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

(Soorat al Baqarah, 2: 275-281 )

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who first assembled those who performed their prayers in the mosque of Madeenah singly or in groups behind one qaari' (reciter of the Qur'an). AI-Bukhaaree records that one night, in the month of Ramadhaan, 'Umar � went

to the mosque and found the people performing prayers in different groups: some praying alone or a man praying with a little group behind him. So 'Umar � said, ' I n my opinion, it would be better to gather these people under the leadership of one qaari'.' So he made up his mind to gather them behind U bayy ibn Ka'b �. Salaat-ut-taraaweeh is a Sunnah of the Prophet �. Offering it in congregation is legislated and the Prophet � only gave it up for fear that it might be made obligatory. It is recommended to offer the witr prayer in a group after taraaweeh. The time for taraaweeh and the witr prayer is between 'lshaa prayer and dawn. The practice of offering sa/aat-ut-taraaweeh is now genera l ly maintained throughout the M uslim world. It is now also the practice that the whole of the Gracious Qur'an is recited in the taraaweeh prayers in many mosques across the world.

l'tikaaf:

Seclusion

or

Spiritual

Retreat Meaning of the term l'tikaaf: Linguistically the word i'tikaaf means 'clinging to'; someone doing i'tikaaf means clings to good a ctions d u ring the period of his l'tikaaf. In the sharee'ah, it denotes clinging to a particular act of obedience at a particular time, with particular conditions in a particular place. Th us, technica l ly i'tikaaf means staying in

Taraaweeh and l'tikaaf � the mosque for a certain n umber of days, especially the last ten days of the month of Ramadhaan with the intention of worshipping Allah to get closer to Him. Legitimacy of l'tikaaf Allah, M ost H igh says in Soorat al-Baqarah:

And do not have relations with them (i.e. your wives) as long as you are sitting for worship in the mosques. (2: 1 87) Allah's M essenger :i used to perform i'tikaaf in the last ten days of Ramadhaan. I n the year in which he died, he performed it for twenty days. This is related by ai-Bukhaaree, Abu Daawood and I bn Maajah. Thus, i'tikaaf is a Sunnah of the M essenger of Al lah �. During these days, the mu'takif (a person who enters the state of i'tikaaf) dissociates himself from all worldly affairs. While someone is in the state of seclusion, he should keep himself occupied with activities that will bring him closer to Allah, such as reciting the Qur'an, tasbeeh, tahleel and tamheed. He must avoid anything that does not concern him. It is permissible for him to give rel igious instructions and to teach the recitation of the Qur'an because the benefit of this extends to others as well. It is also permissible for him to go

outside of his place of seclusion when he rea lly needs to do so, for such purposes as performing ghus/ or for attending to the normal human need to rel ieve himself. M ost suitable for the purpose of i'tikaaf is the large congregationa l mosq ue (al-masjid al-jaami'), where the Friday prayer is held. Abu Daawood recorded that 'Aa'ishah � said, 'The Sunnah for one who is observing i'tikaaf is that he should not visit a patient, attend a funeral, touch or embrace his wife, or go o ut for anything except for something which is absol utely necessary. There is no i'tikaaf without fasting, and there is no i'tikaaf except in a mosque where the conregational prayers are held. (Abu Daawood a n d it is hasan)

� Taraaweeh and l'tikaaf Review A. Fill in the b l a n ks.

1.

Qiyaam Ramadhaan means

2.

The Prophet � h e l d t h e taraaweeh prayer in high esteem,

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

but was concerned it would become 3 · The taraaweeh _______ ,

-------

prayer should

/

/ /

performed

in

voice. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

5 · The most suitable place for i'tikaaf is

/

be

and the Qur'an should be recited in a

4· The term i'tikaaf l iterally means

/

-------

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Why is the taraaweeh prayer so cal led? Why did 'Umar � gather people under one qaari' ? When should the witr prayer be offered? What does i'tikaaf mean in the I slamic context? With what deeds should a mu'takif fill h is day?

Slow Suicide Slow suicide - that is the name given to a lcoholism a n d d rug addiction. Alcoholism is addiction to a lcoholic drinks and add iction is dependence on al coholic d rinks and substances. Drinks and Drugs are Forbidden in Islam The Qur'an says:

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The Term Khamr Khamr is an Arabic word which signifies any alcoholic drink, drug or substance which causes intoxication. According to E. W. Lane, khamr denotes anything that clouds or obscures (literally covers) the intellect. (Arabic-English Lexicon, p. 8o8, 200 3 Reprint) I ntoxicants blur a person's ability to distinguish between right and wrong.

you who believe! intoxicants, games of chance, al-ansaab and divining arrows are only a loathsome evil of Satan's doing. So avoid them so that you may be successful. Indeed, Satan only desires to excite between you enmity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to turn you away from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you not then desist?' (s: 90-9 1 )

All that Intoxicates is Haraam ( Unlawful ) Any drink, drug or substance which intoxicates, in whatever form or name it may appear, is strictly haraam or unlawful. Thus, for instance, beer and similar things are haraam. Allah's Messenger � said, ' Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is forbidden.' (M uslim)

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� The Two D's: Drinks and Drugs H e is also reported to have said, 'Of that which intoxicates in a large q u antity, a small qua ntity of it is forbidden.' (Abu Daawood and at-Tirmidhee, and it is saheeh) H ence, if a pail of it intoxicates, a sip of it is undoubtedly forbidden. When verses s:go-91 were revealed to the Prophet � it was announced that those ' who possessed intoxicants should neither consume nor sell them a n d that they should destroy them. Al lah's command was obeyed, and a l l the intoxicating beverages were poured into the streets of M adeenah. Some people asked the Prophet � whether it was permitted to make vinegar out of such a lcoholic beverages and he told them not to do so, but to throw them away instead. Another person insistently asked him whether or not an intoxicant could be used as med icine and he replied that far from being a remedy for a ny ill ness, it was in itself a n illness. Others sought permission to consume intoxicating drinks on the plea that they lived in a very cold region a n d had to work very hard, and that the people of that region ha bitually consumed intoxicants to fight cold and fatigue. The Prophet � inquired if the drink concerned caused intoxication. On being told that it did, he said that they should a bsta in from it. They pointed out that the people of their region would not accept this, to which the Prophet � replied that they

should fight them. Allah's M essenger � said, 'All a h has cursed khamr (wine), the one who drinks it, the one who provides it to others and the one who buys and sells it, the one who squeezes [the grapes] into wine and the one who causes others to squeeze grapes in order to make wine, the one who carries it and the one to whom it is carried.' (Ahmad; Abu Daawood, and it is saheeh) According to another tra d ition, the Prophet � instructed his companions not to eat at the table where intoxicating d rinks were being served . Although the word khamr in Arabic is used for wine made from gra pes, it is also used to refer to intoxicating drinks made from wheat, barley, raisins, dates a n d honey. The Prophet � appl ied the prohibition of khamr to a l l intoxicants without exception. In a Friday sermon, 'Umar � defined khamr in the following manner, 'Whatever ta kes hold of the mind and clouds it is khamr.' (ai-Bukhaaree and M uslim) Wine is the Root of all Evil It was narrated that Abud-Dardaa � said, 'My close friend � advised me, "Do n ot drink wine, for it is the root of all evil ."' ( I bn M aajah, hadeeth no. 3371, and it is hasan) Suicide, depression, brain damage, child neglect, traffic accidents, wife-beating - these are just some of the various effects of this habit-forming narcotic.

The Two D's: Drinks and Drugs Al la h's M essenger � also said, 'The adulterer is not a believer while he comm its adu ltery. The thief is not a believer while he stea ls. The man who drinks khamr is not a believer while he drinks it.' ( al-Bu khaaree and M uslim ) This means, their doing so is contrary to faith, resu lting in them not being worthy of the name bel iever. Despite their sin, however, they remain within the fol d of Islam.

Alcohol: Some facts The proper name for a lcohol is ethyl al cohol. It is a colourless, inflammable liquid with a particular smell a n d a strong taste. A glass of beer contains about 5% alcohol. Wine can be made from a l most a nything; for example, root vegeta bles such as potatoes or parsnips,

�

rice a n d even flowers. Lager is a kind of l ight-coloured beer. Champagne is a kind of wine. It is, in fact a blend of several wh ite wines, which are re-fermented together in a firmly-corked bottle so that none of the ca rbon dioxide bubbles could escape. This gives the drink its fizz. A tot ( i.e. a small amount of a strong alcoholic drink in a glass ) of whisky contains about forty percent a lcohol. Remember that a lcohol is evil . A boy who does not drink is neither wea k nor sissified. He is in fact strong and heedful of Allah because he refuses to let senseless habits ruin his life.

The Terrible Web of Dope-Addiction and the Curse of Heroin H ow does it ha ppen? Some ta ke the first dose or become "acid heads on a dare", but others are merely innocent victims who start the terrible downward slide of the add ict q u ite u n knowingly. They accept a cigarette from a stra nger without knowing what it conta ins, sip a seemingly harmless drink in a del icatessen or chew a lump of sugar. It may take as short a time as a few weeks to make them complete slaves to d rugs.

S} The Two D's: Drinks and Drugs /

Explain the term l